LOCAL CONTENT: FG urges stakeholders to support implementation in Nigerian Telecommunications Sector
By Eyo Nsima
The Federal Government has urged stakeholders to support the implementation of the Local Content policy in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector in order to stimulate economic development.
In its report, obtained by The Daily, www.thedaily-ng.com, from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC’s website, the government, stated: “The National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector is in line with the Nigerian government’s commitment to ensure that Nigerians become active participants in the different sectors of the economy. This is clearly stated in Presidential Order 005 on “Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology” and Presidential Executive Order 003 on “Support for Local Content Procurements by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria”.
On the evolution, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), Minister, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, stated: “Following my assumption of office as the Honourable Minister of Communications of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 21st of August, 2019, we assessed the role of the Ministry in the development of the economy and how we could align this with the global best practice. We then made a recommendation to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for the redesignation of the Ministry as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. Mr. President approved this request on the 17th of October, 2019 and this was presented to the Federal Executive Council of the 23rd October, 2019. The implementation of the revised mandate of the Ministry commenced on the 24th of October 2019. The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria was developed as part of efforts to develop Nigeria’s digital economy.
“A National Broadband Plan (NNBP) was also developed to guide efforts of the Federal Government towards deepening broadband penetration in the country. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, graciously launched and unveiled both the NDEPS and the NNBP on the 28th of November 2019 and the 19th of March 2020, respectively. The implementation of both the NDEPS and the NNBP have commenced in earnest and have already started yielding a number of positive results and creating an enabling environment for the development of Nigeria’s digital economy. For example, we have been able to resolve the Right of Way (RoW) challenge that had lingered for close to a decade. I met and discussed the issue with the State Governors under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on the 22nd of January 2020.
“As a result of the meeting, several State Governors have now pegged their RoW fees at a maximum of N145/linear metre, some now collect just N1 per kilometre of fibre and others have waived the fee altogether. Examples of amounts charged per linear metre in the past include N4,500 and N5,500. To give a better illustration, for a particular State, the estimated cost of connecting two Local Government Areas was a staggering N650 Million before the implementation of there solution and now it costs just N150,000! In addition to the resolution of the RoW issues, the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), telecom providers and other broadband companies can also heave a sigh of relieve regarding their repeated complaints about the vandalisation of their equipment.
“This is as a result of Mr. President’s approval of the request of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. Mr President directed the security agencies to protect all Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in the country. The recent 2020 Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that ICT contributed an unprecedented 17.83% to Nigeria’s total real GDP. This is a reflection of the steps taken by the Ministry to reposition the sector. The focus of the Policy aligns with Pillar #8 of the NDEPS document, which deals with the development of Indigenous Content Development and Adoption.”
He added: “The growth of indigenous content in the digital sector can accelerate the growth of the sector and ensure that the nation can stem the tide of capital flight and increase the value addition of indigenous content to the sector. I wish to call on all stakeholders to support us in the implementation of this Policy.”
