New National Broadband Plan: 70% penetration depends on you, Nnamani tells CEOs of Telecom companies

Success Damian 

Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, President of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has made it clear to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Telecom companies of Nigeria that the 70% set target for broadband penetration by the Federal Government is in their hands to realize.

Nnamani made the reminder at a virtual structured engagement with key stakeholders in the Nigerian

Telecom & ICT sector on the New National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 held on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

While commending members of ATCON for their high level of professionalism in making right decisions to put the industry on continuous growth trajectory and for helping get Nigeria out of the recent economic recession he said, “To our member company CEOs who have been making right decisions to put the industry on continuous growth trajectory and for helping to get Nigeria out of the recent economic recession, your efforts is well noted and commended. I like to use this opportunity to appeal that you don’t rest on your oars because the realization of 70% broadband penetration target depends considerably on you in the coming years,” Nnamani said.

He maintained that the development of a solid digital economy rests on the foundation of a well distributed broadband infrastructure and involves the convergence of all technology types and classes of service.

Nnamani said ATCON brought together key industry leaders cutting across the nine sub-group of ATCON’s membership to discuss and strategize with the leadership of the public sector on the best ways to achieve an accelerated implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan.

The ATCON members, he said include, Telephone Operators (PNL/Fixed Line Operators, MNOs/IDAs Operators), Infrastructure Providers (Interconnect, Data Centre Operators, Towers/Base Stations Providers); Internet Services Providers (ISP) (Wholesale Segment, Retail Segment), Value Added Services Providers (VAS), Over The Top (OTT) Players, FINTECH/e-Commerce Operators, Telecom/ICT Equipment Manufacturers, Telecom/ICT Consulting firms, and Telecom/ICT Equipment Dealers.

He disclosed that the objectives of the virtual meeting are to ascertain the status of the implementation of the NNBP 2020-2025, identify any potential bottlenecks that may negatively impact on the smooth implementation of the plan and proffer necessary solutions to mitigate against them, leverage on the wide spectrum of ATCON sub-groups for effective participation in the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 by giving them the opportunity to access the plan and suggest various ways to speed up the realization of the established target by the government.

Another set objective is to serve as a veritable platform to align the objectives and expectations of the private and public sectors

Nnamani commended Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Professor Umar Garba Danbata, Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Engr Aliyu Aziz Abubakar, Director-General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC);  Engr. Ubale Ahmed Maska, Chair, Nigerian National Broadband Plan Implementation Steering Committee;  among others for their various levels of contributions in achieving great milestones in the Telecoms sector in Nigeria.