- As IIC Turns Regulatory Spotlight On West Africa
By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief
Three digital economy warriors namely, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(EVC/CEO) of telecommunications sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Dr. Olusola Teniola and General Counsel at MainOne, Abayomi Adebanjo will highlight the West Africa version of African-focused webinars put together by the International Institute of Communications(IIC), a statement by its Director-General, Lynn Robinson says.
The webinars are organised under the theme: Regulation in times of pandemic and lessons for the future: African responses.
When the IIC ran the first African-focused webinar recently, which focused on Southern Africa, the conclusions were that COVID-19 had revealed:
- Policymakers, regulators and operators can work well together in a crisis;
- Internet access is no longer a luxury, but an essential public service;
- Digitalisation is key to the economy of remote and rural areas, not just towns and cities;
- The ‘communal’ internet access model is not fit for the future;
- Citizens need affordable access to devices as well as networks;
- Temporary spectrum allocation is part of the future ‘emergency playbook’;
- Regulatory frameworks need to evolve and adapt more quickly
Ms Robinson said: “On 11th November we put West Africa in the spotlight – to what extent will our regional experts and practitioners agree / disagree with their Southern African peers? What extraordinary steps have they taken to guarantee continuity of essential services, protect lives and reduce the negative impact on the economy?”
To be moderated by CEO of Balancing Act, Russell Southwood, the webinar will also feature, CEO
Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, Executive Secretary, National Media Commission(NMC), Ghana, George Sarpong and Executive Secretary West African Telecommunication Regulators Assembly (WATRA) Laminou Elhadji Maman, among others.
It will be recalled that this medium reported exclusively that Prof. Danbatta would highlight the webinar, but other details were not then available.
ATCON President, Olusola, who doubles as National Coordinator for Nigeria At Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) and MainOne’s Adebanjo are joining their elder compatriot Danbatta.
“To register simply go to the log in page and use the email address we have used to send you this mailing. If you have not previously registered on our website you will need to click the forgotten password link to generate a password. If you have previously registered will need to use the password you set originally and can change it by clicking the forgotten password link.
We very much welcome questions from the audience after the panel have finished speaking, however due to the expected number of participants these are limited to a maximum of two per delegate and we request you submit your questions in advance by email. Please send in questions to s.ali@iicom.org by 10am GMT Tuesday 10 November,” stated Ms Robinson.
