The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the 10th edition of Business 360 Clinics organised by Abuja Enterprises Agency (AEA) in Abuja, highlighted some of the initiatives to empower the Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
Such initiatives include strategic partnerships with various organizations including the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) which birthed initiatives such as Digital Economy Academy where business owners learn about security risks and online threats in a 12-course programme for 3 months.
“NCC has been at the heart of providing the digital drive for transforming businesses and sustaining socio-economic activities in Nigeria,” said Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC while speaking on the theme of the event, “Technology Utilization and Innovation: Effects on SME Profitability and Productivity”.
Prof. Danbatta, who was represented by Assistant Director, Digital Economy, NCC Paul Okeke, also noted during the panel session titled “Technology Adoption: A must for MSMEs Sustainability and Competitiveness (Challenges and Ease of Use),” also charged entrepreneurs to leverage technology to harness the benefits of these initiatives to sustain their businesses.
“As a regulator of Telecommunication, the Commission is in active collaboration with other agencies in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, as well as with other public sector institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to ensure that policies become effective in curtailing cyber-attacks and threats on businesses,” Okeke added.
The participants and business owners also seized the opportunity of the platform to make complaints and resolve their business-related challenges while adopting technology for their various businesses during the interactive session.