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Local Content: FG Pushes for Local Production of SIM Cards, Others
The federal government is worried that very little of the $18 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the telecom sector over the years is retained in the country and has begun moves for local content policy, guidelines and legislation.
The government has also set an implementation date of January 2013, by which time; it expects to commence local production of subscriber identity module, base station transreceiver station (BTS), debit, credit and other payment cards.
Already, the Ministry of Communications Technology and key players in the industry are in discussions with offshore companies that are interested in establishing local companies to manufacture devices. It is also discussing with the Ministries of Finance and Trade and Investment on the most appropriate import and tax regime as an incentive for local manufacture.
Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology, said, “The larger proportion of these cards are imported and sometimes personalised outside this country. There are a number of local companies that have the capacity to not only produce cards but also personalise them. Direct interventions must be made to ensure that a significant share of this market is captured by firms operating in Nigeria with of course the necessary high security assurances in place.”
She said that there was very high possibility that with the roll out of the cashless economy spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the banking industry, the national and state identity management schemes and other card based services and the growing telecoms industry come 2015 or thereabouts, Nigeria could have close to 500 million chip cards in circulation.
The ICT industry contributed 5.6 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011.
The industry has grown at an average of 30 per cent a year for the last two years making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the Nigerian economy.
Most of this growth comes from telecoms which have recorded over 90 million subscribers from about 400,000 in 10 years.
According to her, “The local content agenda that we are developing in the MCT and will soon operationalise is not so much a protectionist agenda but one that places priority on the development of our local industries by levelling the playing field or better still making it more advantageous for companies in Nigeria to do business with other companies in Nigeria.”
She noted that there were some unfortunate anomalies in the ICT industry. “It is cheaper to import a base station than to fabricate one in Nigeria. It is cheaper to import a chip card than to make and personalise them here. It is cheaper and many times more expedient to bring in a skilled resource from any part of the world than to invest in the training and capacity building of Nigerians.”
She stated that in a country with an addressable market of over 100 million in the ICT industry, only a miniscule percentage of devices that were used to access voice or data ICT infrastructure is made or assembled in Nigeria.
It is clear that liberalisation and private sector participation would not guarantee domestic value creation especially in industries where domestic value added was not significant in the first place,” the minister said.
She added that there was need for a deliberate focus, emphasis and approach to ensure that this happened as has been demonstrated by the local oil and gas industry. “In the recent past we have seen many examples of countries that are creating local jobs by stimulating local economies through increasing domestic productivity,” she added.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
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