The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the weekend expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Bayelsa State Government in accelerating telecommunications infrastructure deployment, digital literacy and skills in the State.
The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO), Prof. Umar Danbatta, made this commitment when a delegation from Bayelsa State paid a courtesy visit to the management of the commission in Abuja recently.
On the purpose of the visit, the leader of the team and the State Commissioner for Communications, Science and Technology, Dr. Promise Ekio Ekio, said that the visit to the Commission was made in recognition of the roles of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by the government in accelerating the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and other sectors in the state.
Ekio explained that the government’s position on prioritizing the ICT sector was partly informed by its determination create jobs for the youths and to nudge their interest in digital culture.
According to him, while the plan to leverage ICT for socio-economic development of Bayelsa State has been uppermost in the agenda of the state government, several engagements made by it with industry stakeholders are yet to receive concrete action, apparent due to lack of robust telecommunications services in the State.
The commissioner said: “Therefore, it is our fervent hope that this meeting will be the beginning of a partnership that will blossom in the areas of digital training and rapid ICT infrastructural development, for the benefit of the people of Bayelsa State and other Nigerians living in the State.
“We want to assure the Commission of our preparedness to work closely with it to fulfill its mandate in the State as well as actualise the vision of Bayelsa State government to leverage ICT for accelerating development”, he added.
Ekio commended the NCC for the good works it had been doing in fast-tracking implementation of the digital economy initiatives of the Federal Government by being upbeat in consolidating the gains of the telecommunications sector.
In his remarks after the team leader’s briefings, Danbatta, who was represented by NCC’s Director, Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwaulune, lauded Bayelsa State Government for seeking collaboration with NCC to stimulate economic growth through telecommunication services and assured that NCC is a ready and willing partner of Bayelsa State on telecoms and ICT.
He pointed out that though the Commission was willing to partner with state governments and other relevant institutions to ensure universal access and universal services, adding, however, that efforts shall be jointly made to ensure that relevant infrastructure to provide world-class telecom services are prioritized to achieve Bayelsa’s socio-economic goal.
Danbatta stressed emphasized the Commission’s recognition of the importance of infrastructure expansion in achieving Federal Government’s vision on digital economy.
Citing the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025 as one of the initiatives of the Federal Government instituted to bolster infrastructure expansion, the EVC explained that the implementation of the Plan was essentially being driven by NCC.
The EVC promised that the commission would ensure that infrastructure gaps in the telecommunications sector are bridged to accomplish Government’s vision in the context of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-30.
According to him, in order to accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment in the South-South geo-political zone where Bayelsa State is situated, the NCC had licensed Messrs Raeaana Limited, as one of the seven licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), authorised to cascade fibre to deepen the penetration of broadband services in all nooks and crannies of the country.
Danbatta said: “The InfraCo licensees have been given timelines to work in their respective zones of deployment to cascade fibre infrastructure to the rural communities, covering the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to enhance robust telecom service provisioning in the country.”
The EVC also urged the Bayelsa State Government to revisit the Right of Way (RoW) charges imposed by the State and other issues capable of encumbering faster deployment of infrastructure in the state.
According to him, reviewing downwards the RoW charges “will boost digital infrastructure rollout in towns and communities in Bayelsa State and environs for effective economic diversification.
“The digital economy rides on broadband and ICT infrastructure and one of the factors inhibiting access to telecommunication infrastructure is RoW administration by States and other state actors”, Danbatta added.
