Business
2009: NCC, Telecom Firms Score Sector High
Telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Telecom operating companies has spoken in one voice in appraisal of the telecom sector with particular reference to 2009 activities which they described as impressive.
NCC, Vice Chairman, Ernest Ndukwe said telecom industry was boosted in the last eight years with over 70 million telephone lines connected in September 2009.
Ndukwe explained that when compared to a total subscriber level of about 400,000 in July 2001, the growth recorded impressive level.
Accroding to him, the rapid growth can be attributed largely to the enabling and conducive environment for investment with respect to government policy and regulatory regime.
“Today, there are mobile signals in all the states of the federation a number of major highways are covered by mobile service; several rural communities have access to one form of telecom service or the other; our law enforcement communities have the necessary tools to keep in touch with their bases.”, he said.
Ndukwe noted that the wide – availability of digital mobile services had led go the improvements in efficiently and productivity, reduction in transaction costs, increased service innovation, better quality of life.
He continued that over 15,000 persons have been directly employed by the various operating companies in the country while several hundreds of thousands of other Nigerians benefited from indirect employment generated by the operators.
However, he, attributed the progress of telecom industry in the last eight years to the market liberation.
Commenting on the quality of service rendered in 2009, president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekwuem, said that there was tremendous improvement on the quality of telecomm service in the past 12 months, compared to previous years.
Ekwuem, noted that issue was not just offering quality of services, but tackling the ractors that were responsible for poor quality of service in the previous year.
He listed some of the factors as insufficient telecom infrastructure, increase in telecom promos without attendant increase in network transmission capacity over concentration of telecom services in urban areas without decentralisation to rural communities.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.