The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), over the years has been guided by action plans that are meant to sustain growth in the telecommunications sector of the nation’s economy. These action plans gave rise to the establishment of Strategic Management Plans (SMPs) by the NCC.
Speaking at a forum on the way forward in the face of challenges in the telecom sector, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC)/CEO of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta had acknowledged that the Commission remains committed to high level consultation with critical stakeholders, sustained compliance monitoring and enforcement of breached licensing conditions, and collaboration with industry partners to adapt best practices for effective regulation.
According to him: “It must be underscored that institutional and human capacity building should be seen to align with corporate vision and mission statements, unfolding technologies in the operational ecosystem and the strategic management plan of the regulator. There must be clear and shared strategic drivers that are managed by very engaged workforce for regulatory excellence.”
The SMP highlights the desired outcomes/strategic results, specifies strategic objectives and the initiatives as well as actions that will be carried out to achieve the objectives. It also states the key performance indicators to measure effectiveness of the Strategic Plan and performance of NCC as an organisation.
The NCC’s first Strategic Management Plan was for five years, from 2003-2007. The second ran between 2007 and 2011. The Commission’s last SMP 2014 – 2018 expired at the end of 2018.
The process for the development of a new SMP commenced in earnest with appropriate internal arrangements put in place to ensure a more robust participation of staff and key stakeholders. The new Strategic Management Plan covers a five-year period, 2020-2024. It has been tagged ASPIRE 2020-2024.
ASPIRE stands for (A:) Advancement through, (S:) Strategy, (P:) Professionalism,( I:) Innovation and (R:) Regulatory (E:) Excellence
According to Prof. Danbatta, the Commission’s SMP (2020 – 2024) comprises of five pillars, which are:
1. Regulatory Excellence: The Commission aims to develop adaptive and sustainable regulation to ensure efficient regulatory service to all stakeholders.
2. Universal Broadband Access: Broadband Access is critical to the achievement of the Digital Economy Policy of the Government. The Commission aims at achieving pervasive and inclusive broadband access by providing incentives for broadband deployment in Nigeria.
3. Promote Development of Digital Economy: The Commission will provide the necessary regulations and initiatives for the achievement of the Digital Economy policy thrust of the Government.
4. Market Development: The Commission through its policies and directions will ensure a dynamic market that drives innovation necessary for economic growth and:
5. Strategic Partnering: We aim at mutually sustainable collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The SMP 2020 – 2024 includes NCC’s reviewed Mission and Vision in line with the Commission’s mandate as stipulated in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003. The SMP reinforces its Core Values as the guiding principles that will mould its culture and underpin the effective execution of the Plan. The Plan reviews the internal situation analysis of NCC, and its external business environment (both macro- and microenvironments) and identifies key issues that must be addressed. A stakeholder analysis was carried out to review key stakeholder needs and to identify the stakeholder value proposition.
The EVC pointed out that strategic objectives and desired outcomes of the SMP “are not magically achieved – specific and impactful actions and initiatives must be carried out to drive the results. It is not just that the identified initiatives are implemented, they must be implemented on time and in line with specifications in order to impact the desired results and achieve targets set.”
This new Strategic Management Plan 2020 – 2024 therefore aims to consolidate and build on the achievements of the past two decades and more importantly, supports the Federal Government of Nigeria’s policy thrust of diversifying the economy through deployment of digital technology.
Thus, it is designed to bring the benefits of the digitized economy to the citizens of Nigeria. The digital economy represents a wide range of economic activities that use digitized information and knowledge as key factors of production. The digitization of the economy creates benefits and efficiencies as digital technologies drive entrepreneurship, innovation and fuel job opportunities and economic growth.
Prof. Danbatta promised that the Board, Management and Staff of the Commission are committed to the implementation of the SMP 2020 – 2024 to deliver on the Commission’s responsibilities and functions as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. The SMP document is on the Commission’s website for reference.
