The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, on Thursday assured telecommunication services consumers that Nigeria’s telecom regulatory framework had been designed to address the challenges that may be associated with the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the country.
Pantami, who gave this assurance at the twin event – Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Regulatory Roadmap for IoT Ecosystem in Nigeria, hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); and presentation of two books authored by him, declared that Nigeria has already exhibited its preparedness to harness the potentials of this new service, as demonstrated in the reduction in incidences of cybercrimes in Nigeria over the past two years.
He explained that the type of consultations and brainstorming being hosted for IoT, as the International Data Cooperation (IDC) indicated that “by 2025, there will be about 46.1 billion IoT devices that are going to be interconnected globally…and through this connection, the data to be generated will be up to 79.4 zeta bites.”
At a gathering that featured presentations by local and international experts, with the Secretary of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Houlin Zhao, in virtual participation, Pantami said IoT remained crucial to present day emergent technologies considering its connectedness to devices in facilitating productivity, minimize waste as well as ensure a faster decision making process where massive amount of data can be analysed and presented for decision making.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, explained that in the process of undertaking its responsibility of regulation, the NCC had made it a consistent practice to interact with experts and key players in the industry on how best to facilitate the development of robust regulations for emergent technologies in the country.
Danbatta said this consultation presented a unique opportunity to appraise the emergence and future deployment of IoT products and services for the benefit of consumers in Nigeria.
In his goodwill message and review of one of the books authored by Pantami titled ‘Datafication of Society to Foster an Internet Economy,’ the ITU scribe, commended Nigeria’s cooperation within the international telecommunications community and how the author assisted in the facilitation of programmes of the ITU, including his recent chairmanship of the World Summit on Information Society at the ITU’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the review of the second book titled: ‘Cybersecurity: Initiatives for Securing a Country’, Prof. Mike Hinchey of the University of Limerik, Ireland, who was the keynote speaker at the event, commended the Minister, stating that the book is a bold statement that Africa is no longer waiting on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry side-lines but now creating content for its institutions.
In a panel discussion, featuring experts from various sectors of the ICT industry, the challenges and prospects of IoT within the Nigerian telecom ecosystem were reviewed, with a view to preparing the country for the future application of IoT products and services.
Photo Caption
Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy (4th from left); Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC (3rd from right) with other Dignitaries from Left to Right: Salahu Junaidu, Director, Chief Research Adviser to the Minister; Prof. Muhammed Bello Abubakar, MD/CEO Galaxy Backbone; Prof. Mike Hinchey, Keynote Speaker; Engr. Ubale Maska, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC (2nd right); Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, Executive Secretary, West Africa Telecom Regulatory Assembly (1st Right), during the Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Emerging Tech/Launching of two books by Pantami, held on 14th July 2022 in Lagos
