By Prince Osuagwu

Smarting from his exploits at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, has declared that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, would enjoy up to 15 percent increase from ICT contributions in 2015.

The current ICT contribution to GDP is 5.6 percent and Juwah said that the massive jump to 15 percent would happen due to the government’s structured investment and regulatory intervention.

Juwah also highlighted on this projection at the Mobile World Congress when he appeared on the Broader Way 2013 Forum – Make it Possible, organised by equipment manufacturer, Huawei, in Barcelona last week.

NCC boss, Juwah

Speaking among a panel of experts from industry and administrations, Juwah traced phenomenal developments in the country’s communications industry and submitted that current programmes and strategies will put Nigeria on a faster lane in Broadband deployment and development.

He however regretted a dearth of infrastructure in the sector which affected projections and growth when placed side by side with the country’s huge population, admitting that it resulted in only 6 percent data penetration currently.

He therefore canvassed for synergy between government and the private sector in infrastructure funding and build out in order to stimulate demand and competition.

He said that although the licensing of 2.3GHz will be concluded this year; and thus be able to stimulate further competition in the telecommunications industry, the NCC has been developing a broadband concept for the country which will encourage government to give financial incentives to service providers that will take services to far-flung areas, unserved and other under-served places.

In fact such incentives, according to him, will influence a commanding reduction in the cost of bandwidth and this expectedly, will put bandwidth in the hands of those who need it but are yet unable to afford it.

On the infrastructure side, he further advocated for equal focus on the wireless and wired technologies. He appealed to equipment manufacturers and suppliers to come out with products that can harmonise and encourage the two technologies.

Putting people at the centre of the business, almost all the experts gathered at the forum were of the opinion that competition should not only focus on prices but on services and quality as well.

Speaking in another forum, Dr Hamadoun Toure whose tenure at the ITU has witnessed ground-breaking developments in the ICT sector, including the digital migration, hailed the transformation in the telecommunications sector which is driving profound changes in all sectors and helping countries to meet millennium development goals (MDGs), among others.

For instance, the digital economy allows anyone, anywhere play an active role in global issues and value chain, Toure said.

Toure was excited about ICT growth in Africa, a continent that has become an honey pot for mobile growth, and specially commended Nigeria for a good regulatory framework by the Juwah- led team which has exploded mobile phone growth in Africa’s most populous nation.

Toure was particularly excited that “Africa is part of this inclusive technology that has given voice to the voiceless and allows even the ordinary folks in rural areas to participate in global discourse and share useful information.”

He hailed manufacturers for turning the phone into some multi-purpose devices saying that “it is no longer a phone but multi-purpose devices.” With these devices, people are able to share information and bounce them around the world.

Information when shared is divided between people but when it is communicated digitally so many people will have access to that information globally, Toure explained.

The ITU Secretary General was pained that a kind of technology cold war seems to be brewing between developed North and developing South, and appealed that such war should not be allowed to happen otherwise it will hurt growth being recorded in the sector.

Toure also stressed the importance of Cyber Security, saying it touches the life of everybody including government and children. Cyber Security is a very serious and sensitive issue, Toure said, adding that there was an overriding importance to protect children in Cyber Space. He commended administrators and regulators for teaming with the ITU for Child online protection.