ATCON At Maiden National Dialogue On Telecoms And ICT Sector In Nigeria Explains Philosophical Underpinning For The Digital Economy

• Lists Benefits To National And Subnational Governments

By Angeline Mgbele, Correspondent Abuja

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has explained the philosophical basis for the establishment of the National Dialogue On Telecoms And ICT Sector In Nigeria. This happened at the maiden edition of the National Dialogue on Telecoms and ICT sector In Nigeria heldOctober 15, 2020 at the Nigeria Air Force(NAF) Conference Centre, Abuja, north central part of the country.

ATCON President, Olusola Teniola said at the event that his association, the foremost telecommunications and ICT Association in Nigeria, was committed to promoting an enabling environment for the telecom and ICT Sector in Nigeria. Teniola reaffirmed ATCON’s claims to being a pioneer digital economy advocate. Said he: “It should be stressed that the Association is the premier Association ever formed by the first set of technocrats in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry about 27 years ago and one of its core objectives is to ensure that Nigeria is not lagging behind when it comes to knowledge economy which we often refer to as the Digital Economy by complementing and supporting what the government at all levels are doing to transform the nation digitally.”

About the Dialogue

According to Teniola, the growth across all the sectors of Nigeria’s economy was expected to be exponential as a result of the resolve by the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to drive the entire economy through digital resources and the frantic efforts being pursued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Members of ATCON.

Said he: “This National Dialogue on Telecoms and ICT sector is targeted at changing the narrative of our country’s development through the optimal utilization of digital resources and to achieve this, State Governors, Ministries, Agencies and Sectors like Agriculture, Education, Oil & Gas, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment, Security and Defence, Transportation, Works and Housing have been invited along with telecom and ICT companies in order to see the strategic essence of taking advantage of Digital resources to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their respective sectors for the betterment and over all benefits of the country.

The supply side which is comprised of Telecom and ICT Companies and the demand side which is made up of all the Ministries, States, Local Governments, Nigerians and Non Nigerians are expected to have higher level of productivity on the condition that they adopt and leverage on the opportunities presented by the digital economy to improve their output.”

Strategic Objectives

According to ATCON President, the strategic objectives of the event are:

1. To optimally x-ray the factors that have worked for and against the telecom and ICT Sector in Nigeria 2. To discuss regulations and polices around Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), Block Chain and so on.

3. To proffer sustainable solutions in respect of telecom and ICT Sector 4. To channel collaborative efforts toward promoting Nigerian Digital Economy and other policies that the ministry of communications and Digital Economy have launched

The theme for the Dialogue is “Harnessing the Digital Resources for the Building of our National Economy” and it created a veritable platform for the discussion of the following panel sessions:

• Special Sectoral Discussion – Harnessing Digital Resources for Sectoral Effectiveness and Efficiency for National Development
• National Funding and Investment Strategy for Broadband Infrastructure and Digital Economy
• Regulation on Emerging Technologies (AI, IOT, Robotics, Blockchain, etc): Leveraging on Nigerian Youth Population’s Innovation and Creativity for National Development
• Digital Economy in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities
• Private Public Partnership and Development of Mechanism for the seamless Management of Inter-Ministries and Agencies: an imperative for Broadband Infrastructure Development in Nigeria

Expected outcome

Teniola went further to outline the advantages of the dialogue. Said he: “Some of the benefits that are likely to accrue to both Federal and States’ Government that have concluded to give the Nigerian telecom and ICT Sector a chance are many but we shall only elaborate on few points which are that:

It would help us to unlock the inherent digital potentials of our country – Nigerian States that have bought into the Nigeria National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 would enjoy and maximize the opportunity that pervasive broadband penetration and other ICT Infrastructure can offer as the people of these States can leverage on uninterrupted telecommunications and ICT services which they have not been enjoying before now and it has been widely acknowledged that the presence of Telecom and ICT amenities are prerequisite for where to locate businesses as these critical telecom and ICT infrastructure would give Nigerian youths the opportunity to express their gifts and talents thereby exporting them to earn foreign exchanges in turn.”

According to him, ATCON had carefully selected thought leaders in the sector who were expected to come up with brilliant ideas as to what the public and private sector could do to maximize the benefits inherent in the digital economy such that the recent fall in Nigeria’s GDP could be reversed.

The recent Index of Digital Quality of Life positioned Nigeria in the pursuit of digital economy and ranked 20th position at the beginning of the survey (Nigeria is currently ranked 81st). He thanked ICT stakeholders that honoured the event and looked forward to a fruitful dialogue while hoping the report that would come out of the dialogue would be used to improve the investment climate of our industry.

Digital economy bigwigs that graced the occasion in person or by proxy included: Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister, Fof Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono, Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihu Magashi (Rtd), Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(EVC/CEO) of NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbata, Director-General of NITDA, , Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Representative of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , Country Director (Nigeria), World Bank , Shubham Chaudhuri, Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, ATCON NEC Members, ATCON CEOs, Captains of Industry and the Press.