By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has called on international telecom companies and potential investors to leverage on Nigeria’s population strength and stable political atmosphere to invest in the country’s broadband infrastructure and telecom sector.
Danbatta, made the call at the inaugural edition of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2023, held in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Danbatta, who was represented at the conference by the Team Lead, Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS), Babagana Digima, explained that part of the mandate of the the Commission is to attract foreign investors to further enhance the growth of the economy.
Lagos State governor , Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Morocco, Mansur Bamalli, commended the Commission for its regulatory expertise which has made Nigeria the next investment destination in Africa.
The EVC informed the global stakeholders that the Nigerian government has been very supportive of the telecom industry which has achieved an upward growth with over 220 million active mobile voice subscriptions in Nigeria, over 150 million Internet subscriptions and broadband penetration of 48 percent, the country is yet to be fully connected.
“Our national plan is to achieve 70 per cent broadband penetration by 2025. We still have less than 50 percent penetration. This means there is huge investment potential for investors. Nigeria’s telecom sector needs more investment around infrastructure deployment,” The EVC stated.”
According to him, the telecom sector in Nigeria has become a major contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), quarter-on-quarter, driving the growth of the digital economy in the country.
“The importance of this event for us as a Commission is to showcase the NCC as a Nigerian brand, a foremost telecom regulator in Africa and beyond and to bring about the much-needed investment that will enhance the development of the Nigerian telecom industry,” Danbatta said.
He disclosed that Nigeria is blessed with abundant talent which can be tapped by investors to support their business operations.
“There is abundant human resources waiting to be harnessed by potential investors for ground-breaking global technological innovations and advancement in providing digital solutions, he said.
“This event provides us with the platform to showcase some of the talents that we have discovered in Nigeria. The Commission has sponsored three indigenous start-ups that are at this event to display their solutions for prospective investors and partnerships,” he emphasized.
Daybreak reports that the GITEX Africa 2023 was the maiden edition of GITEX Global Summit held in Africa.
GITEX is Africa’s most influential forum to accentuate the vast potential of the tech-driven digital economy and aims to be an international platform for cutting-edge technology for all players from both public and private sectors.
