Umar Garba Danbatta, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged the Nigerian Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS) on the need to deliver its mandates effectively in order to promote indigenous contents in the country’s telecom sector.
The Chairman noted this at a two-day team building session organised by the NODITS team in Abuja.
According to Danbatta, who was represented by Usman Malah, Director, Human capital and Administration NCC, the development of the National Policy for the promotion of Indigenous Content (NPPIC) which was facilitated by Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of communication and Digital economy, is aimed at driving the desire of the current administration and the NCC to ensure that indigenes participate actively in Nigeria’s telecoms sector.
He noted that the management expects NIDOTS to participate in the development of new guidelines and regulations bordering on indigenous content, local manufacturing of telecom equipments, outsourcing services, construction and lease of telecoms ducts, succession planning in the telecoms sector and others.
“The Commission’s commitment to maintaining high standards, ethical conduct, and superior performance is a priority of the Management, hence by extension, NODITS should reflect the established values, guiding principles, strategic awareness and the goodwill associated with the NCC,” he said.
However, he said NODITS would be collaborating with various stakeholders to reduce capital flight as local manufacturers would be encouraged to design and manufacture devices.
“In essence, NODITS will be expected to initiate strategic programmes and projects that will stimulate the growth of the telecoms sector through an approach that is visionary, focused, sustainable and based on incentives to indigenous telecom stakeholders” He added.
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Babagana Digima, the team lead NODITS presented the mission and vision of NODITS as he speaks about the progress the team has recorded after it was launched five months ago.
While the Mission of NODITS is to “deliver on the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the telecom industry and the Executive Orders 003 & 005,” its vision is “to harmoniously integrate indigenous content in the Nigerian telecoms sector,” Digima said.
Digima noted that the Executive order 003 mandates all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to always grant preference to local manufacturers of goods and service providers for procurement while the Executive order 005 seeks the promotion of Nigerian content in contracts bordering on science, engineering and technology.
The team leader listed the NCC, NITDA, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigerian Contents Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council among others, as partners it would be collaborating with to achieve its mandates.
He encouraged his team at NIDOTS to work effectively towards building a telecom sector where indigenes will participate actively in creating value in the development of the Digital economy
NODITS is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created on July 5, 2021 designed to stimulate the creation and development of top quality indigenous content in the telecommunication sector. The creation of the NODITS and its domiciliary in the Commission was sequel to the signing of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Telecommunication Sector (NPPIC) by the President in March, 2021.
