Telecom
What If Tsunami Buhari ‘Swallows’ Shittu
Our Christian brethren are ‘merrying’, and in a few days time, year 2016 and its attendant brouhaha will wind down, giving way for fresh impetuses, aspirations and gazes on new horizons. As expected, there will be hang/hand over between the outgoing year and 2017.
However, I am particular about having a more enthused and verile Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry that is not resting on its past glories.
Among many expectations, it seems President Muhammadu Buhari will align with supposed popular thinking that his cabinet should be reshuffled. That is where I beg we cull the subject of today’s piece.
Vanguard Newspaper on Monday, December 19, 2016 on its Facebook wall conducted a brief survey, asking Nigerians to list ten Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria they believe should lose their seats should Mr. President decide to reshuffle his cabinet in the coming year. Going through the posts our industry’s, (Information) Communications (Technology) Minister, Barrister Adebayo Shittu appears to be ‘in safe’ hands as his name was missing. But, what if PMB’s ‘Broom-Tsunami’ still sweeps away the Minister, who recently fought some witty battles such as struggling to push the idea that the proposed communications tax is one of the best strategies to overcoming the present economic realities – a point of view many Nigerians including yours truly have refused to buy. So, what if the President decides to relieve Shittu of his post or move him to another ministry, how should the industry then proceed?
Obviously, something is still lacking in our polity- where a successor finds it difficult to build on the foundation developed by the predecessor. In other words, whoever takes over the mantle would start ‘all-over’, searching for stakeholders to submit documents and help in drafting ‘new policies; by then Shittu’s ‘brilliant’ ideas and policy thrust would have been archived and not really/fully gazette(d) like that of his predecessor Dr. Omobola Johnson, the erstwhile Minister of Communications Technology.
The losers are not the politicians who find it not too odd to stir controversies that will rattle new ‘office’ occupants. By then, they stay aloof, enjoying their ‘game’. Therefore, the losers are the organized private sector who need to rewind the rat-race of paying homage, redrafting memos with attached costs; all to please a new chip off of the old block’.
But, even when the new appointee genuinely seeks for advice, he ends up harvesting half-baked and gibberish contents that compound issues or standing the truth on the head.
Nevertheless, Barrister Shittu might still survive the cabinet reshuffle, thereby retaining his post. Whatever happens we still need to talk about the various issues affecting the industry. There are a lot of things happening in the industry that require stakeholders to converge at a round table with policy makers in search of solutions. First the telecommunications companies are bleeding. How they performed the magic of ensuring the Christmas season wasn’t marred by poor quality of service (QoS) calls for commendation.
Apparently, the operators are not expanding, at least, not at the expected speed, particularly since the time dollar scarcity hit the economy. If airlines, banks, manufacturing and agricultural sectors are receiving Government’s special attention, I think the IT & telecoms industry deserves that or at the very least have good policies to stimulate and protect this all-important industry. It is a big business enabler; providing required blood that flow in the veins of almost every other sector.
My guest on this week’s edition of Tech Trends on Channels Television is the GMD of IPNX, Ejovi Aror, and I asked him a few questions about the industry in general and found some of his responses quite intriguing. For him, the industry still needs a lot of investments to grow, espcially to effectively advance in the area of 4G LTE but the required investments won’t come, if there is uncertainty in the economy. One take away from my chat with him is that the industry has a lot of potentials but also has serious challenges. This is why I am of the opinion that players and enthusiasts must keep brainstorming on the way forward. You may see the full interview by visiting http://www.CFA.ng/tv
On the flip side, it was recently reported that about 80% of the Value Added Service (VAS) licencees operating today are near extinction. The culprits are the telcos who have not been able to fulfil their obligations to these service providers. So, should we fold our hands and allow these companies collapse; a situation that will warrant FDIs and jobs losses? Why are the telcos not servicing their creditors, in this case, the VAS operators?
Now you see my point, there is certainly a lot to talk about, this is why ‘Think Breakfast Series (tBs)’ has been established and it comes up on 25th of January, 2017 by 8am at the Prime Chinese Restaurant, Plot 860 Bishop Aboyade Cole Street Victoria Island, Lagos.
tBs is a strategic initiative put together by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek and CFAtech.ng which is aimed at bringing industry experts together to brainstorm and discuss the biggest trends and issues impacting the industry. The organisers believe that Nigeria has a plethora of challenges that must be solved if she must be a great nation indeed and tBS would serve as a platform to assist Nigeria in achieving the greatness it deserves within the comity of nations.
The tBs is a gathering of 30 passionate executives, decision makers and thought leaders who have the capacity to proffer solutions to issues affecting their industry and Nigeria through a brainstorming session done over breakfast.
This event is strictly by invitation because quality participation and deliberations are compulsory, so if you are a top executive and would like to to join other key decisions makers in the first series of tBs, register @ http://tbs.com.ng/tbs-registration/ and also contact us if you would like to partner the tBs team.
tBS will no doubt be a gathering of great minds with solutions that can transform the country. Barr. Shittu and his team need experts’ ideas to succeed & tBs is another credible platform to express ourselves as it concerns the growth of telecoms & IT industries in Nigeria. See you at tBs!
CFA is the Founder, www.CFAtech.ng & Co-producer/Presenter, Tech Trends on Channels Television
Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.
Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).
This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.
The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.
The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.
Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.
As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.
According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.
“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.
He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.
“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.
Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.
“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.
“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.
The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.
On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.
He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.
“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.
“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.
Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.
“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.
He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.
“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.
In a bold move to strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and the digital economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has formally unveiled the National Sovereignty Cloud Initiative (NSCI) Regulatory Instruments, thereby setting a new benchmark for the country’s digital future.
NITDA
The NSCI is a strategic programme of the federal government coordinated by NITDA. It is designed to bolster Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and accelerate the country’s adoption of reliable cloud infrastructure. The initiative consists of the National Computing Guideline, the National Cloud Technical Guideline, the National Digital Infrastructure Assurance Framework, and the National Cloud Investment Strategy.
Speaking during the ceremony in Abuja, the Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, described the NSCI as a strategic move to safeguard Nigeria’s digital future. He noted that the instruments will stimulate innovation, encourage investment in local cloud services, and enhance digital resilience.
“These instruments provide the regulatory certainty, technical standards, and assurance framework required to build a trusted cloud ecosystem that safeguards Nigeria’s digital sovereignty while creating new opportunities for investment, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.
“We should position ourselves not to serve Nigeria alone, but to serve West and Central Africa. Nigeria is already the digital gateway to West Africa and can extend to every part of Africa. But we can only realise that goal when we build our infrastructure. So, today’s event is the first step in that direction,” he stated.
Abdullahi appreciated the support of relevant stakeholders and the efforts of the NSCI Technical Working Group, which culminated in the successful development of the regulatory instruments. He emphasised that collective action of regulatory agencies is necessary for a seamless implementation of the initiative.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, declared that the launch of the NSCI underscores the federal government’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s data borders and digital economy.
“By ensuring that government data remains strictly within national jurisdiction and under local operational control, we are guaranteeing data sovereignty and regulatory compliance. It will catalyse local cloud capacity, foster local job creation, and empower indigenous investors and innovators to build solutions on a secure, locally hosted foundation,” Gagare said.
The Permanent Secretary commended the management team of NITDA, the NSCI Technical Working Group, and other stakeholders for their collaborative spirit in driving the initiative. He promised that the Ministry would ensure that the strategic objectives of the NSCI are fully realised across all ministries, departments, and agencies.
In a message, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Olayemi Cardoso, congratulated NITDA for promoting a collaborative approach, adding that modern digital regulation succeeds through coordinated regulatory actions for common national objectives.
Cardoso, who was represented by Dr. Rakiya Opemi Yusuf, the Director of the Payment System Supervision Department, acknowledged that the launch testifies to the robust collaboration existing between the apex bank and other government institutions.
“CBN regulates the financial ecosystem. NITDA provides the national framework for digital infrastructure, cloud governance and assurance. These responsibilities are complementary, not competing. Together, they create a coherent national architecture.
“Together with NITDA, and with the continued cooperation of industry, we will continue to build an ecosystem that protects Nigeria’s financial system today and positions our nation as Africa’s trusted hub for digital finance and cloud innovation.
One of the most encouraging aspects of today’s event is the strong institutional collaboration between NITDA, the CBN, and other relevant government institutions. This collaboration demonstrates an important principle.”
Cardoso reiterated that as a responsive regulator, the CBN remains committed to providing clear expectations, firm principles, proportionate implementation, and constructive engagement with all stakeholders to position Nigeria as Africa’s trusted hub for digital finance and cloud innovation.
Also, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone Limited, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, noted that the NSCI couldn’t have come at a better time than now, especially considering CBN’s recent directive mandating banks and financial institutions to localise their data.
Adeyanju expressed confidence that the initiative would push the ecosystem to greater heights by encouraging investment, developing indigenous talent, and creating employment opportunities akin to the gains brought by the deregulation of the telecoms sector.
NITDA will constitute the Sovereign Cloud Governance Committee (SovGov) within the next two weeks to oversee the implementation of the NSCI. The committee would comprise representatives from relevant Government institutions, sector regulators, industry, and the private sector, with NITDA serving as the Secretariat
Dimension Data to Channel Funds to Support Nigerian Fibre Expansion
FG Commences 90,000km Fibre Optic Rollout within Weeks
Kaspersky Reveals a New Malicious Framework Targeting Cryptocurrency Users with the Use of OkoSpyware
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Retracts Story on Pan African Towers Litigation
PalmPay Targets Hong Kong IPO after $1Bn Valuation
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
From Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
NELFUND Investigates 34 Universities Over Students’ Missing Tuition Refunds
News3 days agoAtte, Nigerian Develops AI Algorithm for Hair Transplants
News3 days agoFG to Abolish Subsidies in Power Sector in 2027 – Minister
E-Financial3 days agoFCT Court Awards Ex-Customers N15m against Stanbic IBTC over Data Privacy Breach
E-Financial3 days agoCBN Exposes over 13,000 BVNs Tied to Fraud as Banks Tighten Security
Telecom3 days agoStarbase Technologies Introduces Yolly, a Reward-Based Social Entertainment Platform
General News3 days agoDare Tackles Onaiyekan over Criticism of Tinubu, Says Economic is Working
General News3 days agoSERAP Asks Tinubu to Probe Alleged N6.79Bn Missing Police Funds, Firearms
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky Identifies Cyberespionage as a Growing Threat Across Africa, Others