The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has once again reiterated the pivotal roles being played by the telecommunications industry in driving economic growth.
He said such roles are also fostering innovation and enhancing the quality of life of Nigerians.
The Executive Vice Chairman spoke at the ‘NCC Special Day’ during the 18th Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), which was held on October 5, 2023.
Speaking at the trade fair, which has as its theme; ‘Sustainable Financing and Taxation,’ Danbatta said the NCC as telecommunications regulatory body in the country, has the onerous responsibility of ensuring sustainability and vitality of the sector.
He said the Commission also recognises the fact that the telecommunications sector has been a strategic driver of the digital economy agenda of the Federal Government as it continues to provide the needed digital stamina to support the economy, especially through technology, hence the sector continues to enhance and empower individuals, connect businesses, strengthen industries and enable governments to provide essential services efficiently, thereby driving development and national productivity.
The NCC vice chief executive said sustainable financing in telecommunications involves sourcing the necessary capital to build and maintain robust telecommunications networks, which as a regulator, NCC understands that such financing should be stable, accessible and conducive for industry growth.
Danbatta said taxation, while essential for funding government initiatives, must strike a delicate balance between revenue generation and industry growth.
He added that NCC’s role as a regulator in this wise is to advocate fair taxation practices that do not stifle innovation or place undue burden on consumers, while also acknowledging the intincases of tax policies, but emphasising the importance of creating an environment where telecommunications companies can thrive.
He said to address these challenges, the Commission continues to engage government at the state and federal levels on the need to harmonise taxation in the sector.
He said in the country today, the number of active mobile subscriptions has reached 220,715,961 million as at August 2023, while teledensity is at115,.63 per cent at the same period.
The NCC chief executive also said that the number of active Internet subscribers stood at 159,034,717 million with broadband penetration at 45.57 per cent as at the end of August this year.
Earlier in his remarks at the occasion, the Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) of the Commission, Mallam Alkasim A. Umar, also use harped on NCC’s commitment to ensuring fair competition and a level-playing field for stakeholders in the industry, particularly in safe-guiding the interest of consumers from the abuse of their rights and privileges and against unfair practices in the telecommunications value chain.
To cap it all, he said such commitment is demonstrated in NCC’s continuous efforts to establish seamless programmes that will protect, inform and educate (PIE Mandate) telecommunications consumers through various consumer-centric initiatives.
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