Dr. Ndukwe Chairs Beacon of ICT Awards 2012

Communication Week Media Limited, publishers of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, has announced Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, father of modern Nigeria telecom and former executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) as chairman of this year’s Beacon of ICT Awards ceremony. The Beacon of ICT Awards, the annual industry wide celebration recognizes deserving talents, contributions and commitments to the growth of the ICT industry. Dr. Ndukwe, the midwife and doctor of modern day telecommunications in Nigeria brings added weight to the event holding on April 28 at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. According to a statement signed by Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, organizers of the event; “we are thrilled to have Dr. Ndukwe as the chairman of this year’s event because of everything he represents” Beacon of ICT Awards and Dr. Ndukwe have been crossing paths since the inaugural edition in 2009, when the latter as the then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) delivered the keynote and gazing into the crystal ball, foretold a broadband revolution. The Beacon of ICT Award, the merit- centric celebration honours finest and brightest companies and individuals alike who have helped put Nigeria on the global ICT map. The awards motivate stakeholders in effective utilization of ICT for citizen’s services and ensure that ICT professionals are provided a benchmark for recognizing and validating outstanding contribution. The choice of Dr. Ndukwe as the chairman falls aptly in line with the objectives of the awards. Dr. Ndukwe is widely credited with ushering in the reforms required to bring Nigeria’s telecom sector into the modern era, and guiding the Nigerian Communications Commission to become one of the world’s foremost regulatory bodies. He also heads the ‘Centre for Infrastructure Policy, Regulation and Advancement’ (CIPRA), of the Lagos Business School, (Pan African University) dedicated to teaching, research and policy advocacy in infrastructure development. Dr. Ndukwe, is a professional telecommunications engineer, corporate executive and public servant with over 34 years of international experience in the telecommunications industry. Dr. Ndukwe, chairman of the Open media Group has represented Nigeria at various international events and is a regular resource person at international conferences including International Telecommunications Union (ITU) orgnanised fora and events. He was also chairman of the Administrative Council of the African Telecommunications Union and immediate past Chairman of the West African Telecom Regulators Association (WATRA), an organization he helped pioneer. On special invitation, Dr. Ndukwe, has served as adviser to a few countries in Africa on Telecom Policy and Regulation and is author of several papers on Telecommunications Regulation and Sector Policy.