The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged global investors at the maiden edition of GITEX Africa to take advantage of Nigeria’s population, which presently boasts of over 220 million active mobile voice subscriptions in Nigeria, over 150 million Internet subscriptions and broadband penetration of 48 percent.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, specifically, invited international telecom companies and potential investors to come to invest in infrastructure provisioning for broadband.
“We want to assure you that the Nigerian government has been very supportive of the telecom industry which has achieved an upward growth with over 220 million active mobile voice subscriptions in Nigeria, over 150 million Internet subscriptions and broadband penetration of 48 percent,” Prof. Danbatta who was represented at the conference by the Team Lead, Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS), Babagana Digima, said.
He noted that Commission has a mandate to facilitate the development of the telecom industry in Nigeria, adding that one way this can be done is by attracting foreign investors that will further enhance the growth of the economy.
“Our national plan is to achieve 70 percent broadband penetration by 2025. We still have less than 50 percent penetration. This means there is huge investment potential for investors. Nigeria’s telecom sector needs more investment in the area of infrastructure deployment,” he added.
Telecom sector in Nigeria has become a significant contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), quarter-on-quarter, driving the growth of the digital economy in the country.
Also, there is abundant talent in Nigeria that investors can tap to support their business operations. These talents can be harnessed by potential investors for ground-breaking global technological innovations and advancement in providing digital solutions.
The GITEX Africa 2023 was the maiden edition of the GITEX Global Summit held in Africa. It is poised to be Africa’s most influential forum to accentuate the vast potential of the tech-driven digital economy. It aims to be an international platform for cutting-edge technology for all players from both the public and private sectors.