The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said diligent implementation of various telecommunications policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks has continued to enhance the nation’s capacity to deepen citizens’ access to digital resources.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who said this also said such policies have transformed media and knowledge production, and positively impacted Nigeria’s economic and social progress.
Danbatta said this in a keynote address at a media and communication researchers’ conference, themed: “Influence of Communication Policies on Digital Revolution in Nigeria,” which ended at the weekend.
Danbatta, represented by NCC’s Director, Research and Development, Ismail Adedigba, said communication policies are essentially blueprints and strategies, marked by plans for the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
This is done in such a way that it nudges people to harness opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) through the embrace of digital culture across sectors by individuals, businesses and institutions.
He explained that through diligent implementation of telecommunication policies, which have triggered digital revolution, the media and entire field of mass communication have been impacted through innovations that have revolutionised production and consumption of mass communication contents.
He added that this has also made communication easily accessible, more affordable and exchanges faster.
The ICT contribution to GDP is, by far, the second largest contributor to the national economy aside from the agriculture sector. From less than $500 million investment in 2001, the investment profile in the nation’s telecommunications sector has also surpassed $70 billion.
Danbatta, while tracing the trajectory of growth in the telecoms industry from 1960 till date, said the past decades have witnessed formulation of various policies and laws for developing the industry but remarkable growth in the sector started after the sector’s liberalization in 2001.
He said through diligent implementation of policies, vision plans and strategic regulatory frameworks by the NCC, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the industry, there is increased access to digital services.
He said the media industry is being shaped in terms of patterns of information dissemination through multiple platforms while the digital revolution has revealed a new vista of research areas for scholars in the field of mass communication.
Danbatta continued: “Today, the active telecom subscribers have grown significantly to 212.2 million from about 400,000 aggregate telephone lines in the country as of 2000, on the eve of liberalisation.
“This represents a teledensity of 111%. Basic Internet subscriptions grew from zero ground to 152.7 million now, while broadband subscriptions stand at over 86 million, representing a 45.09% penetration as of July 2022.
“The industry has also become a major contributor to our national economy with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry contributing 18.94% to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of the second quarter of 2022, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). From this, the telecommunications sector alone contributed 15% to GDP.
“The ICT contribution to GDP is, by far, the second largest contributor to the national economy aside from the agriculture sector. From less than $500 million investment in 2001, the investment profile in the nation’s telecommunications sector has also surpassed $70 billion. The telecommunication sector has also created direct and indirect jobs for millions of Nigerians to date.”
