Danbatta praises the Swedish government and Ericsson for their enduring, exceptional collaboration

The Swedish Government and Ericsson have received praise from Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for their dedication and consistency in a strategic partnership with the Commission on capacity building that has strengthened its regulatory activities.

Danbatta emphasised the substantial advancements made by NCC in the field of ICT during a workshop that was jointly hosted by NCC and its Swedish partners within the framework of the Swedish Programme for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Developing and Emerging Regions (SPIDER).

The importance of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s position as a regulator in the West African sub-region is highlighted by this workshop.

It also emphasises the constant need to adapt to the changing dynamics of the telecoms industry, according to Danbatta.

The NCC Chief Executive reaffirmed the Swedish Government’s and SPIDER’s steadfast dedication to the advancement of ICT in developing nations and recognised their contributions to expanding access to healthcare, education, income generation, and employment opportunities in West Africa, which helped to alleviate poverty.

“Over the years, the Commission has become a more effective regulator and increased its contribution to the growth of the telecoms industry as a result of this periodic strategic engagement under the aegis of SPIDER.

The EVC stated that this gift “will further support the development of an ecosystem that is advantageous to the economies and people of the region.”

The importance of ICT regulation and capacity building as major drivers for economic development and social advancement was stressed by the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroun, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mrs Annika Hahn, in her speech.

The NCC was praised by the ambassador for hosting the occasion and promoting cooperation between the two countries. She highlighted the crucial role that information and communications technology (ICT) has played in Sweden’s economic success. Sweden is home to Ericsson, one of the oldest and largest ICT businesses in the world with a long history in the industry.

The envoy continued by highlighting the worldwide technological revolution and its potential to spur industrial and economic growth. She emphasised the necessity for contemporary and flexible legislation to handle this quickly changing environment.

Hahn added, “We need to govern in a modern and flexible way to deal with this new and rapidly evolving environment. Building human capability for ICT regulation is therefore essential for all of us.

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to the diplomat, hastened the adoption of ICT globally, increasing Internet usage as a result of the change’s effects on a variety of industries, including education, business, and financial services. She added that the shift was greatly aided by the use of multiple platforms for e-learning.

The Ambassador continued by stating that according to an Ericsson report, Nigeria accounted for a substantial percentage of the more than 900 million registered mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.

In order to spur growth and help Sub-Saharan Africa reach its lofty goal of having more than a billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2023, the Swedish ambassador stated that “education must be an essential part of our regulatory development strategies and policies, hence the need for collaboration in knowledge-sharing and up-skilling of human resources by all stakeholders.”