Telecom
NITDA, ICT Stakeholders to Co-create Digital Innovation, Entrepreneurship Policy Document
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Stakeholders in the Start Up ecosystem are jointly working on creating a policy document for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The motive behind the co-creating of the document is to come up with unique strategies of drafting the policy which would make implementation seamless and for it to be owned by the stakeholders.
At the Stakeholders meeting and workshop held in Abuja, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, NITDA Director General, who was represented by the Director of eGovernment Development and Regulations, Dr Vincent Olatunji stated that the Agency adopted the new approach of co creating the document with stakeholders for it to be owned by Nigerians.
He said, “we want you to see this assignment as a national assignment that is the reason we deviate from the usual engaging the consultant to prepare the policy for us, if we had engage the consultant we may not see the document as ours and we want it to be owned by us.”
He stated further that the idea would be a game changer in the country because the country has a start up ecosystem that can compete with anyone in the world.
“I keep saying it, we have ideas and these ideas can be compared to any other in the world. We want an ecosystem that can develop tech solutions from ideation stage to commercialization and this cannot be easily achieved without properly having a plan that can really guide us in doing the right thing.”
Dr Olatunji said that, co creating a document of such magnitude would prevent people working in silos without proper direction of what we want to do adding that, that is why it is very important to have “this kind of document that is jointly prepared.
He said, “We want to properly understand what we want to do, how we want to do it, who are the Stakeholders and where do stakeholders come from.
“This is why we selected people from academia, industry, public sector, private sector and start-ups ecosystem in the country”.
While decrying the attitude of Nigerians for not patronizing the local solutions upon the proclamation of Executive Orders 003 and 005, Dr Olatunji advised for patronage of local ICT products and services.
In her remarks on the introduction of the workshop, Dr Amina Sambo-Magaji, National Coordinator of OIIE, advised the Stakeholders not to be over ambitious in their efforts at preparing the document because its implementation would be within three years.
She said, “We want to prepare a document that is very simple and achievable within three years time frame. We want a document that would super charge the start up ecosystem”
The National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy would be anchored on 5 strategic pillars these include advancing human capital, unlocking funding, enabling infrastructure, boosting demand and promoting entrepreneurship.
Participants at the workshop were drawn from government organisations, private sector, academia, investors and entrepreneurs.
Representative from Facebook Nigeria, Innovation Support Network, Blue Sapphire and other notable hubs were selected for the review of the documents.
It would be recalled that Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, publicly presented the draft document last Friday.
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Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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