By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has challenged the Nigeria Office for Developing Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS) to adhere to standards and ethical conduct in promoting local content in the country’s telecommunications sector.
This was disclosed by the Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Mr Umar Danbatta, at a two-day brainstorming and team building session organised by NODITS team in Abuja.
He urged NODITS to ensure effective delivery of its mandates with respect to the promotion of indigenous content nationwide.
In a statement by Mr Ikechukwu Adinde, the Director, Public Affairs at the NCC, he advised the team to adhere to regulatory and ethical principles held in high esteem by the management of NCC.
“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.
The statement described NODITS as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) designed to stimulate the creation and development of top quality indigenous content in the telecommunication sector.
It said the creation of the NODITS on July 5, 2021, 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.
Mr Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Human Capital and Administration, NCC, Mr Usman Malah, said the development of NPPIC, facilitated by the Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Ali Pantami, is essentially aimed at driving the desire of the current administration and the NCC to ensure that indigenes become more active participants in Nigeria’s telecoms sector.
On management’s expectations from NODITS, the EVC said, as an SPV under the purview of the commission, NODITS would be expected to get involved in the development of new guidelines and regulations bordering on indigenous content, local manufacturing of telecom equipment, outsourcing services, construction and lease of telecoms ducts, succession planning in the telecoms sector, among others.
“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,” the EVC said added.
In his remarks, the Team Lead, NODITS, Mr Babagana Digima said, “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 telecommunications sector.
Modupe Gbadeyanka