Nigeria’s ICT sector has received
another boost with the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the
National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, agreeing a
joint committee to design a
framework for collaboration to optimize development efforts for the telecommunications
and ICT in the country.
This was a major outcome of the
interactions between the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar
Garba Danbatta, when the Acting Director General of NITDA, Dr. Vincent
Olagunju, and his team paid a courtesy visit to the NCC headquarters in Abuja at the
weekend.
Both agreed that a new era of interagency collaboration, especially
within the sister ICT agencies would bring about desirable results, in line
with global best practices.
The Joint committee, chaired by Dr.
Agu Collins Agu, a director at NITDA, is expected to provide detailed areas of collaboration
and terms of reference, which will beinitialed by the two organizations in due
course.
Professor Danbatta said the
initiative will prove to the world that sister agencies in our clime can work
together in the interest of the nation., and charged the committee members to
work assiduously to ensure that the objective of the collaboration is realized.
“We must concentrate on those things
that we know that with the right investments and involvement of our human capital
resources, we would realize things that we can show the world about the giant
strides that are being made in this country, especially in the area of
Information and Communications Technology”, he said.
According to Professor Danbatta, the
agreement to collaborate is consistent with the mandates of the two entities to
ensure pervasive penetration of ICTs.
“But we have to be mindful of the
fact that, the more you introduce services, the more your burden the
infrastructure on ground. I hope that you (committee) will take cognizance of
what you need to do to address the existing capacity of infrastructure.
What we are looking at is the
progress we are steadily making by the day to ensure we reach the destination
of what we call a networked society, a society that is e-driven, a society that
is ICT driven, as well as a society that will be relying on the power and
leveraging on ICT to conduct all kinds of businesses”, he said.
NITDA’s Acting DG, Dr. Olatunji,
said that should be no rivalry in ways that the tow organizations operate these
days because it is all about common vision and common goals which are
tied together for the future of our nation.
“The Information Technology sub-sector,
and the telecom sector, already work together now in their operations. If those
of us at the helm of affairs that are driving the industry do not work
together, we will not go far”, he said.
Dr. Olatunji said the disposition of
the EVC of NCC, Prof Danbatta, in arriving at setting up this committee has demonstrated
the quality of leadership he has brought to bear in the sector.
During the visit, Dr. Olatunji
listed a number of major events being hosted by NITDA in Nigeria, and in Dubai
to which the NCC has accepted to support NITDA, and also participate fully with
the development agency in line with the new direction in collaboration
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