Media
By Anthony Isibor
THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, says it plans to provide centralized Data centre services in order to improve the security and reliability of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
The commission said it became necessary following the evolving primacy of data, encapsulated in the in the slogan – Data is the new oil, thus requiring appropriate structures and frameworks to truly tap and optimize the opportunities provided by this new order.
Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, said at the fourth Telecommunications Sector Sustainability Forum held in Lagos recently that it would enable stakeholders share perspectives on the opportunities, challenges and impact that operations of Data Centre services hold within the Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
He disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken laudable steps to encourage and support data centre services in the country in its drive to ensure data sovereignty.
“This is encapsulated in the National Digital Economy Policy Strategy (NDEPS) Pillar #3 on Solid Infrastructure which states that; The Government will Promote the Development and Deployment of robust and scalable data centre infrastructure.
It therefore goes to show that these centres, and their potential to attract foreign investment remain massive. The global data centre market is worth billions of dollars, and Nigeria is well-positioned to attract a fair share of this investment.
According to him, by providing a reliable and secure environment for the services they offer within a well nurtured policy and regulatory framework, Nigeria represents an attractive destination for more investment in data centre services and operations. The implication of such investments on jobs in the construction, operation, and maintenance of these data centres can only be imagined.
With the commencement of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, the role and criticality of Data centres become increasing overwhelming.
This is underscored by the kind of efficiency derivable when critical resources are shared at costs far significantly smaller than the actual costs of setting up such resources from scratch. It therefore provides a veritable platform for greater productivity and the attendant national competitiveness for businesses and public sector entities to effectively harness the opportunities to be unlocked from the estimated $1.2 Trillion latent treasure within the AfCFTA continental block through its 1.3 billion people.
Speaking on theme of the forum “,Mainstreaming Data Centres in the Nigerian Digital Economy:, Danbatta noted, that the NCC has long recognized the imperatives around the sharing of critical resources within the telecoms industry, particularly in relation to recent engagements on regional roaming with the ECOWAS.
“This is underscored by the Commission’s recent guidelines and framework, leading to emergence of collocation and infrastructure sharing entities such as tower companies that rest on this premise.
“The Commission has also concluded its framework, and further facilitated the test run on national roaming and active infrastructure sharing to further galvanize efficient roll out through a well coordinated network optimization and expansion strategies,” he said.
Danbatra explained that these model data centres will provide greater guarantee against various malicious attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
“This is in addition to the efficiency engendered by the robust economies of scale through critical resources shared and made available by Data Centres. Being able to substantially underwrite some of our critical resource gaps such as weak energy challenges, Operators within the Data Centre space ensure that the well established and globally accepted tripods of confidentiality, integrity and availability are so seamlessly provided for uptake by users in the most economical way,” he added.
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October 8, 2023 @ 20:37 GMT|
Tags: NCC Professor Umar Garba Danbatta
