The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has expressed his appreciation for the consistent and enduring partnership between the Swedish Government and Ericsson. The partnership has primarily focused on capacity building and has significantly bolstered the NCC’s regulatory efforts.
Speaking at a workshop jointly organized by the NCC and its Swedish partners under the Swedish Programme for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Developing and Emerging Regions (SPIDER), Danbatta emphasized the substantial progress achieved by the NCC in the field of ICT.
He remarked, “This workshop signposts the vital role the Nigerian Communications Commission, as a regulator, has been playing in the West African sub-region. It also highlights the unending objective of keeping up with the times and ever-evolving dynamics of the telecommunications sector.”
Danbatta reiterated the Swedish Government and SPIDER’s steadfast dedication to promoting ICT development in emerging regions. He acknowledged their contributions to enhancing access to healthcare, education, income generation, and employment opportunities in West Africa, thus aiding in poverty reduction.
He noted, “This periodic strategic engagement under the auspices of SPIDER over the years has made the Commission a more effective regulator and enhanced it contribution to the development of the telecommunications sector. This contribution will further support the creation of an ecosystem that is beneficial to the economies and people of the region.”
In her address, Mrs. Annika Hahn, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), emphasized the importance of ICT regulation and capacity building as key drivers of economic development and social progress. She applauded the NCC for hosting the event and fostering collaboration between the two nations. She also highlighted Sweden’s significant role in ICT, being the birthplace of Ericsson, one of the world’s oldest and largest ICT companies.
The ambassador emphasized the global technological revolution’s potential to catalyze industrial and economic development, stressing the need for modern and adaptable regulation in navigating this rapidly changing landscape.
Hahn further pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of ICT worldwide, leading to increased Internet usage across various sectors, including education, commerce, and financial services. E-learning platforms played a substantial role in this transformation.
Additionally, the Ambassador highlighted Ericsson’s report, which indicated more than 900 million registered mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022, with a significant portion in Nigeria. She emphasized the importance of education in driving growth and achieving the ambitious goal of over a billion mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2023. Collaboration in knowledge-sharing and upskilling of human resources among all stakeholders was deemed crucial to achieving this objective.
