The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) on Thursday assured stakeholders in the nation’s telecom industry on its plans to ensure that very soon the industry’s operations would be powered by alternative energy sources.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who made this disclosure during a roundtable discussion with academia, industry and other stakeholders in Lagos, said that to achieve this goal the Commission had plans to introduce policies that will encourage all telecom operators to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources, and by so doing, reduce fossil fuel carbon emissions in the country.
Danbatta, who was represented at the forum by the commission’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services NCC, Mr. Ubale Maska, said the policy would serve as a framework for telecom service providers to contribute to a greener future.
According to him, the policy will not only ensure cleaner environment but also drive innovation and create new business opportunities within the industry.
Danbatta, who pointed out that achieving the objectives required collaboration and partnership with the academia and other stakeholders, explained that the roles of academia remained crucial in advancing research and innovation that can transform industries.
The industry regulator said: “The academia’s expertise, knowledge and insights will guide us in developing feasible alternative sources of clean energy that the telecommunications industry could leverage for a sustainable energy supply. Our main goal is to refocus future academic research towards feasible alternative sources of clean energy that could be harnessed by the telecom industry.
“We need the research of the academia to help us understand the potential of these alternative energy sources, address their challenges, and develop strategies for their implementation in the telecom sector. Secondly, we seek to promote research in academia that leverages digital technology to improve the livelihoods of Nigerians”, the EVC stressed.
According to him, the telecom sector has a significant role to play in transitioning to a sustainable energy future and the NCC has a major responsibility to ensure that the growth of the telecom sector is achieved in a manner that is environmental-friendly and in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Danbatta maintained recent studies had shown that renewables and energy efficiency as well as good electrification could provide over 90% of the necessary reductions in energy-related carbon emissions globally.
He said: “This presents a significant opportunity for the telecommunications sector to contribute to the world’s energy transformation. Let us leverage the power of collective intelligence to develop actionable strategies that will shape the future of the telecom industry in Nigeria.
“We believe that by aligning research efforts towards alternative clean energy sources and leveraging digital technology, we can revolutionize the telecom sector in Nigeria”, Danbatta projected.
