The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has been awarded the “Leadership Excellence and Economic Impact Award” by the African Leadership Organisation (ALO), ), publishers of The African Leadership Magazine.
The award was given to the NCC’s boss at the ALO’s annual Africa Legislative, Legal and Good Governance Conference which took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja recently.
Presenting the award to Danbatta, the Chairman of ALO, Dr. Ken Giami, emphasised that in keeping with the organization’s tradition of celebrating African excellence and achievement, it has continued to showcase the bright sides of the continent’s success stories by giving recognition to deserving individuals. One of such individuals, whose efforts have been instrumental to the growth of the Nigerian economy, according to Giami is Prof. Danbatta.
“Danbatta’s visionary contribution to the society is making our communities better places for all and his contribution continues to shape Africa’s socio-economic growth and development. Danbatta has exemplified resilience, determination, and commitment in business and policy landscapes despite the diverse challenges on the continent. This is why we are recognising him today as an icon of leadership,” Giami said.
Africa Leadership Organisation was unequivocal that Danbatta was deserving of the award because of his outstanding achievements as the Chief Telecom Regulator in Nigeria, especially over the past five years, during which the country’s telecom sector has shown spectacular landmarks. This concrete, measurable signposts, according to ALO include the successful auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band marked for the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) networks and the uncommon regulatory strides of his in continually creating a level-playing field for investors especially to reflate telecom-induced growth of the economy in the post-pandemic era.
Receiving the award on behalf of Danbatta, a Deputy Director at the Legal and Regulatory Services Department of NCC, Chizwa Whyte, appreciated ALO for the award and stated that the NCC considers it another encouraging milestone to do more in regulating the nation’s telecommunications sector. Whyte equally commended ALO for the recognition of the excellent leadership offered by the NCC Boss in taking the telecoms industry in Nigeria to a higher level of significance and relevance.
“This recognition is a clarion call to us to do more for the industry by ensuring good policies and regulatory initiatives are emplaced to ensure the Federal Government’s policy direction on the digital economy is achieved,” Whyte said.
The African Leadership Organisation has committed the last 14 years to promote good governance and impactful leadership on the Continent and to promoting African opportunities and African dignity globally. The objective of ALO is being achieved through the promotion of Afrocentric and reputation-boosting content, the facilitation of African trade and market entry solutions across communities and business networking platforms, as well as through public sector training and consulting.