Nigeria set for the 4th industrial Revolution – Danbatta

Nigeria set for the 4th industrial Revolution - Danbatta

Thu, Apr 29, 2021

By editor

4 MIN READ

Business

By Anthony Isibor

PROF. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice-chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, has said that Nigeria is ready for the fourth industrial revolution.

Danbatta, represented by Adeleke Adewolu, executive commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, made this known while presenting his keynote address on Thursday, April 29, at the third series discuss of “The Advocate Law Practice”.

The NCC executive vice chairman, at the virtually held event, tagged: “Powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigeria” revealed that Nigeria can only be part of this revolution by putting in place, necessary policy frameworks which will ensure that it becomes a leading player in the global digital economy, provide a catalyst to facilitate the diversification of the economy, and accelerate the attainment of the key national objectives of improving security, reducing corruption and expanding the economy.

“As you would note from the above context, we can only harness the opportunities of the fourth Industrial Revolution as a nation if we put in place effective guiding frameworks to address the various aspects of the digital ecosystem and ensure their effective interworking in the national interest.

“In this regard, I am pleased to note that Nigeria is not lacking in key Policy and Regulatory frameworks and instruments which will enable us to play a leading role in powering the fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria has taken great strides in the area of ensuring digital-friendly ICT policies “Due to the immense socio-economic benefits of ICT for national development; to ensure that ICT infrastructure are up to the standard necessary to provide ubiquitous broadband services in Nigeria, and to align the commission’s regulatory efforts with policy instruments, as well as the growth strategies of the International Telecommunications Union, ITU), to ensure growth, inclusiveness, and sustainability.

He listed the significant achievements Nigeria recorded in this regard to include licensing of six infrastructure companies, InfraCos, to speed up the deployment of broadband infrastructure throughout Nigeria and the provision of training and supporting public institutions with ICT interventions like School Knowledge Centers, ADAPTI, and the enhancement of physical infrastructure.

He said that “In the last five years, the commission has expanded broadband penetration from 6% to 42.06 as at February 2021; access gap clusters have been reduced from 207 to 114; Fibre Optic coverage has increased from 47,000km to 54,725 km, and Base Transceiver Stations for 3G and 4G deployments have increased from 30,000 to 53,460.

There is also the creation of a full-fledged department Digital Economy has been created to support Federal Government’s Digital Economy agenda.

“We also increased funding of Telecom Research to N336.4m and have endowed four (4) Professorial Chairs. We have commenced requisite engagements on 5G deployments and some of our licensees have already carried out trials,” he said adding that these strides will enable the telecommunications sector to provide the infrastructure backbone for powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigeria.

Danbatta reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerians in Nigeria play a leading role in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, IoT, Robotics, Blockchain, Autonomous Vehicle, Drones and other innovative technologies which he said are now driving growth and national competitiveness.

He stated that “The question of regulation of disruptive technologies without stultifying innovation is one that we like all other regulators globally, are carefully studying. For now, we have maintained a sharp focus on critical cross-cutting aspects like consumer protection, enhancement of competition, data protection, and enhancement of trust in digital platforms through the prevention of cybercrimes and other abuses,” he said.

He thanked all the critical stakeholders across all industry platforms and professional groups for their support so far in ensuring that Nigerians fully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as drivers and innovators.

– April 29, 2021 @ 18:49 GMT

A.I

Tags: Adeleke Adewolu INFRACOS Nigeria Communications Commission Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Keep abreast of news and other developments from our website.