The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) is has announced plans to host the maiden edition of Virtual Structured Engagement with key stakeholders in the Nigerian Telecom and ICT Sector on the New National Broadband Plan 2020- 2025 with a theme “Realizing the new set target of 70% of Broadband Penetration.”
Slated to hold on March 25, 2021, the forum, which will leverage on the support of the various sub-groups under the membership of ATCON, will ensure that the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 is adequately positioned to deliver its ultimate purposes for the generality of Nigerians more quickly and strategically.
A statement from ATCON and signed by the President, Ikechukwu Nnamani, notes that traditionally, the Association usually gives its members the opportunity to review and provide insightful approaches and solutions along with Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the NCC, NITDA and State Governments, as to what needs to be done to support various programmes and projects that are earmarked for the successful implementation of the previous National Broadband Plan under past ministers.
ATCON states that the strategic objectives of the forum will be to compliment the various strategic activities already embarked upon by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy; to achieve the set target of Broadband penetration in Nigeria with great speed and to leverage on the wide spectrum of ATCON sub-group for effective participation in the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, by giving them the opportunity to access the plan and suggest various ways to speed up the realization of the established target by the government.
Other objectives of the stakeholder engagement include to serve as a veritable platform to galvanize the needed input that reflect the thinkings of the telecom and ICT sector and proffer an opportunity to review the relevance of the Nigerian policy environment vis-a-vis the telecom operating environment.
The Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami is expected to deliver the Principal Keynote on “Enhancing the contributions of sub-sector in the Nigerian national broadband plans through enabling policies”; while the EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),Prof Umar Garba Danbatta; the Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and the Director-General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr Aliyu Aziz Abubakar, will share their respective commissions’ and agency’s perspective via a paper presentation on “Aggregating the potentials of the sub-sector to meet the new broadband set target of 70%”.
Each sub-sector is seen as an integral part of the entire ecosystem of the Nigerian telecom and ICT sector hence, selected representative of various subgroups would be expected to make a presentation on how the new National Nigeria Broadband Plan 2020-2025 is impacting the subsector and list what can be done to make the plan realize its set target on or before the target date. Some of the sub-sectors/sub-groups that their inputs would be collated, which are germane to the implementation of the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, are Towers/Base Stations Providers, MNOs, Over The Top (OTT) Players, Value Added Services Providers (VAS), Metro-Fibre Operators, Submarine/Undersea Cable Operators, Internet Services Providers (ISP) – Wholesale Segment, Data Centre Operators, Internet Services Providers (ISP) – Retail Segment, Digital Skills/Capacity Building, FINTECH/e-Commerce Operators, Cloud Computing, Manufacturers’ Representative, Satellite Operators, eGovernment Services Providers and Equipment Dealers.
“We are confident that this special engagement would enable us to carry out the industry mapping with respect to the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025.
This very important strategic and flagship event would serve as a veritable platform for the key stakeholders in the telecom and ICT sector to brainstorm and proffer solution for the realization of the new set target of 70% of Broadband Penetration more expediently,” the statement from ATCON concluded.