Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, has said Nigeria was one of the countries taking the lead in development of the telecom industries development in the world.
Danbatta made this known in his key note address read by Funola Akiode, the Director of Licensing and Authorisation of NCC, at the Abuja International ICT Conference and Expo 2015.
He said: “Nigeria is not left out of the centre of development and growth of voice and data services.
“At some point, less than a year ago, Nigeria was rated as the fastest growing telecom market for five consecutive years.
“The growth of 2G to 3G and ongoing into 4G is not the preserve of the developed world.
“With the broadband taking the centre stage, Nigeria is not left out.
“It is now easy to transfer funds from the comfort of your homes and offices, online shoppings, locally and internationally, are now made available with the availability of telecom infrastructure.”
Danbatta said the telecom industry had brought a lot of innovations in the banking and finance industries.
Earlier, Tony Ejikenoye, the President of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in his address of welcome, said ICT constituted a potent driver of socio-economic development in emerging economies.
Ejikenoye said the purpose of the conference was for stakeholders to discuss the pathways to development in rising economy.
He said: “I am honoured that this conference is an appropriate venue for this purpose.
“However, it is not without challenges that require the attention of government, industrial key players and allies of the earnest counterparts beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“There is a growing amount of research that aims at highlighting the crucial role of ICT in improving the socio-economic and political status of our economy.
“I expect that this conference would reveal some of the trends that can trigger actions from the various stakeholders toward the improvement of ICT penetration and usage in our country.”
NAN.
