NCC Commits to Developing Digital Skills for Realization of Digital Economy

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to developing digital literacy skills required for the realization of full digital economy in Nigeria.

Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, Head, Digital Skills and Services, stated this at AfricaNXT tech event under a theme: ‘The NCC Mandate Towards Realization of Full Digital Economy in Nigeria’. According to her, “when you have basic foundation for communications such as connectivity, data among others. What is next is digital innovation, entrepreneurship and digital skills.

“If we have all the Apps and solutions such as eHealth, eAgric and the populace does not know how to use them, we have achieved nothing.

“So, the next core area of the digital economy department in NCC is development of digital skills across all Nigerians, including children in primary, secondary, NYSC, mothers among others. In that way we have ubiquitous availability of digital skills across Nigeria for digital economy”.

She said the development of digital skills for Nigerians has become necessary following the creation of the Nigerian Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS), whose mandate is to encourage indigenous participation in the telecom sector.

The creation of the NODITS, according to her has started yielding desired results as indigenous have now been engaged in the production of products and services that were hitherto imported. She noted that this move is boosting the government’s digital economy pursuit.

One of such products is the production of SIM cards, which she disclosed has helped the Nigerian government to save about $12 million owing to the ban of whole Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) importation.

“As we speak, six indigenous companies were licensed by the NCC to manufacture SIM cards, four out of these six are operational and have manufactured over 100 million SIM cards, saving Nigeria about $12 million from the importation of SIM cards, between August 2022 and now” she said.

Also speaking on what the NCC is doing to drive the digital economy, Mr. Abraham Oshadami, the Head of Spectrum Administration at the NCC, said the Commission has slashed licensing fees for Internet Service Providers to as low as N500, 000.

“This is an effort to the rollout of telecoms infrastructure across the country to achieve the National Broadband Plan of the Government”.

, Mrs. Aderonke Sola-Ogunsola, Head of Financing and Stakeholder Management Team, NODITS at the NCC expressed optimism that it is possible for the country to continue to make progress in the banning of more telecoms device such as Smartphone, phone chargers and SIM card, adding that before the ban, SIM was imported into Nigeria.

According to her, Nigeria has the capacity to manufacture SIM in Nigeria stressing that with the ban and the manufacture of SIM in the country, there will be the provision of more jobs and the saving of FOREX for the nation.

Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, who moderated the panel session in his opening remark stated that digital literacy skills is one of the pivotal focus of the Commission, stressing that without digital stills citizens will not be able to reach maximum derivation of the digital services and innovations- resulting from the efforts of the digital economy.

“There should be an effective regulator of the industry in order to achieve digital economy and digital literacy skill is one of the key focus of digital economy policy, because if you don’t have the skills to implement and exploit technologies and services that are available, you will not reach the maximum benefits,” he stated.