TECHDIGEST – Professor Umar Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), highlighted significant strides in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector following the inaugural Nigerian Telecommunication Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE).

At the ongoing NTICE 2023 event, Engineer Ubale Maska, Executive Commissioner of Technical Services at NCC, conveyed Danbatta’s message. Danbatta noted that the policy implemented after the first NTICE event, which banned the import of whole-body SIM cards, has yielded substantial economic benefits.This ban not only alleviated pressure on foreign exchange demand but also resulted in local SIM card manufacturers generating more than N55 billion in revenue.

Furthermore, the ban sparked direct and indirect job creation, amplifying the positive impact on the economy.

Danbatta emphasized that Nigeria’s telecom sector plays a pivotal role in the country’s socio-economic growth, as exemplified by its remarkable achievements.

READ ALSO:Digital Economy: NITDA Coordinates Nigeria’s Participation at G20 Ministerial Meeting

The sector’s contribution to GDP rose from 12.45% in Q4 2020 to 14.13% in Q1 2023, aiding Nigeria’s recovery from recession.

Highlighting its global standing, Danbatta noted that Nigeria leaped ahead in the 5G race, with revenues exceeding USD $820 million from 3.5GHz Spectrum band licenses granted to operators in 2021 and 2022.

This achievement positioned Nigeria as a 5G pioneer among European, African, and Middle Eastern nations.The telecom sector’s commitment to improved Quality of Service and Experience has been unwavering, maintaining stable tariffs despite escalating service provision costs.

To sustain this progress, embracing indigenous content and value creation within the telecom value chain is crucial.The Nigeria Office for Development of Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS), established in 2021, has made strides in manufacturing, human capacity development, research, and software and services creation.

The NTICE event has become a flagship platform for promoting indigenous content, aligned with the NCC’s strategic goals.Moreover, efforts to shield fiber infrastructure from damages led to the incentivization of Corrugated Optical Duct (COD) manufacturing.

The Commission remains dedicated to supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and innovators, offering angel investments, research and development support, investor exposure, and sponsorship for tech events.

In conclusion, Danbatta highlighted that NTICE 2023 symbolizes the celebration of these accomplishments, epitomizing Nigeria’s spirit of innovation and ingenuity.

The post Nigeria’s SIM Card Manufacturing Industry Generates N55bn – Danbatta appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is gearing up to present the strides made in promoting local content within the telecommunications domain at the second installment of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE 2023). Scheduled to run from August 22nd to 24th, 2023, at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, the event aims to highlight the nation’s achievements in leveraging indigenous capabilities for economic growth and investment enhancement.

Under the theme “Unleashing Indigenous Potential for Economic Expansion: Networking to Amplify Investment,” the NCC is rallying stakeholders for a remarkable participation, building on its impressive debut in the previous year’s edition.

Overseen by the NCC’s Nigeria Office for Fostering Indigenous Telecommunications Progress (NODITS), the NTICE event aligns with the objectives of the National Policy on Promoting and Implementing Indigenous Content in the Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC).

The expo is designed for a diverse audience, encompassing local telecom operators, manufacturers, regulators, government bodies, policymakers, innovators, industry luminaries, startups, and global experts. Participants will have the opportunity to display their products, services, groundbreaking solutions, and emerging technologies, fostering collaboration and idea exchange across the telecommunications ecosystem.

The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) of 2003 empowers the NCC to encourage domestic and international investments in Nigeria’s communication industry, introduce innovative practices and services, and facilitate Nigerian involvement in the ownership, management, and control of communication entities, as well as the development of communication manufacturing and supply sectors.

In accordance with the NCA 2003, the NTICE 2023 expo aims to advance the four focal areas of the NPPIC—Manufacturing, Services, People, and Research and Development—in line with the government’s push for economic diversification.

This event continues to serve as a unique convergence point for stakeholders to exchange diverse ideas, advancing the utilization of local content within the nation’s telecommunications sphere.

Participation in the event requires mandatory pre-event registration, and the NCC has established the website www.ntice.ncc.gov.ng for this purpose. Prospective participants are advised to complete their registration before August 22, 2023.

During a recent engagement with the NCC’s internal media, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, reiterated that NTICE stands as Nigeria’s premier annual event for showcasing indigenous telecommunications, technology, startups, manufacturing, and innovation.

The expo creates powerful connections and fosters invaluable new relationships that underscore the accomplishments and substantial potential of a technology-driven digital economy.

The 2023 edition of the expo is set to spotlight the government’s achievements in indigenous content development within the sector, providing participants a platform to showcase products, services, innovative solutions, and emerging technologies.

The post NCC Spotlights Indigenous Telecom Advances at NTICE 2023 Expo appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian government has banned the importation of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami announced this Monday in Lagos at the maiden edition of Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE).

He said as Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, SIM cards should have long become a domestically manufactured product.

READ ALSO: Senate Passes Nigeria Start-up Bill

With more than 200 million phone users and by implication SIM cards running on the networks, Nigeria should not be importing SIM cards, the minister told stakeholders at the NTICE organized by the Nigeria Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

His words: “Let me make it clear that the federal government will no longer tolerate the importation of SIM cards. We are now producing them in Nigeria. Our aim is to increase indigenous content in the ICT sector so that by 2025, we will be self-reliant by at least 80 percent.”

He urged stakeholders and citizens to support government efforts to boost local patronage and consumption.

“If we do this, history will be kind to all of us” said the professor of Cybersecurity.

The minister had in June announced the establishment of a SIM card manufacturing plant in Lagos built with private sector support with capacity to produce 200 million cards annually for local consumption and export.

The post FG Bans SIM Card Importation appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – As part of efforts toward the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami has insisted that Nigeria will no longer import telecom products and services that can be manufactured locally.

The Minister, who was speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, said this will heavily reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.

“Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products. Thus, importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria is discouraged,” he said.

The Minister, who commended the Nigerian Communications Commission for organizing the (NTICE) expo, also condemned the proposed five percent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria. He argued that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.

“I was not consulted before the decision on five percent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 percent to the country’s revenue,” he said.

Pantami told his audience, including the Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Hon. Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, that his position was already shared by the National Assembly which was also not consulted on the issue before it was announced.

“We must do what we need to do to protect the industry. Beyond making our opinions known, we will take legitimate and legal steps to stop any plan against the interest of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the objective of the NPPIC is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry.

Danbatta said the Commission has taken various steps to ensure that the process of implementing NPPIC is painstakingly pursued through capacity strengthening, institutional building and strategic policy tools, which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.

The Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.

The post Nigeria Will Not Import Telecom Products That Can Be Manufactured Locally, Says Pantami appeared first on Tech Digest News.