Telecoms now contributes 10% to GDP ― Buhari

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Nigerian Telecommunications industry accounted for 10 per cent in the first quarter of the Country’s Gross Domestic Product this year.

President Buhari while speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the 2nd Conference of African Telecoms Regulators on Consumer Affairs (CATCO), said the sector has been driving the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda aimed at boosting efficiency in governance and all the key sectors of the economy.

This year’s CATCO is themed: Empowering the Telecom Consumer in an Era of Technology Evolution.

The President who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha further said the Telecoms technologies have created a borderless world with impacts on the lives of millions of consumers, regardless of how remote they are physically located.

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His words: “In fact, the contribution of telecoms to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) now stands at over 10 per cent by the first quarter of this year. We want to see the telecoms industry playing an even bigger role as an enabler of economic growth and development not only in Nigeria but also across Africa.

“Nigeria, the sector has been driving the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda aimed at boosting efficiency in governance and all the key sectors of the economy.

“The need for every country to keep herself abreast of the fast-paced technological evolution from the first, second, third, fourth and the fifth generation of technologies cannot be overemphasised. Today, we now talk of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Smart Cities and various smart technological renovations, all of which are targeted at a certain group of consumers of digital services, whether an individual or corporate entities.

“As regulators of one of the dynamic sectors of the economy in Africa, therefore, telecoms regulatory agencies should be concerned about the effects of these technological changes on the consumers.

“Indeed, these technologies have created a borderless world with powerful impacts on the lives of millions of telecoms consumers, regardless of how remote they are physically located. But we must be aware that these technologies present enormous opportunities for the consumers on the one hand and may constitute threats to consumers on the other hand, especially if left improperly regulated.”

Boss Mustapha who was represented by a Director in his office, Polycap Shambo said globally, technological evolution has facilitated innovations in various sectors of the economy such as banking, agriculture, healthcare, commerce, entertainment, transport, bringing a lot of efficiency in service delivery as Nigeria is witnessing.

In his address, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Danbatta said the growth in the African telecommunications sector and the shift of emphasis from licensing to other obligations such as empowerment and consumer protection have increased both the scope and complexity of regulating telecommunications.

The EVC who was represented by the Director Public Affair Henry Nkemadu said “we at the NCC, being a Consumer-centric Regulatory Organization, have taken the directions that clearly illustrate the steps of Consumer Affairs and for this reason, polices such as Guideline, regulations and other intervention mechanisms have been deliberately put in place to grow the telecom industry while empowering and protecting the consumers.

“Consequently, the NCC has gone further to introduce two major initiatives as part of measures to empower the consumers. These are the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) 2442 Short Code, which the consumers can use to control what they receive on their phones as unsolicited text messages or calls.

“The Second initiative in this direction is the NCC 622 Toll-Free Line set up specifically to ensure improvement in the service delivery. Consumers can call the 622 number to escalate their unresolved complaints by their service providers for effective resolution through the Commission’s intervention.”