By Emmanuel Elebeke & Susan Onuorji,

ABUJA—Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Dambatta, said, yesterday, the Nigerian telecommunication sector posted N3 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in the first half of 2016.

The EVC disclosed this during a special visit to NCC by Foreign Defence Attaches, led by the Deputy Director, Foreign Liaison, Defence Intelligence Agency, Commodore Aminu Abdu, in Abuja.

Dambatta said the sector had remained resilient against all odds in the past six months, despite the hard biting economic recession ravaging the nation’s economy.

The NCC boss, who was quoted by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, stated that the sector posted N1.4 trillion in the first quarter of 2016 and N1.6 trillion in the second quarter.

He said:  The telecommunication sector posted positive growth in the first quarter of 2016. Remarkably, it still posted N1.6 trillion in the second quarter of 2016, one per cent increase of what it was in the first quarter.

“The telecom sector has remained resilient in the past six months, posting one per cent increase in second quarter of this year from what it posted in the previous quarter, despite the recession going on in the country. Government is on top of it.”

“This growth is an attestation to the resilience of the sector. The recession is a global phenomenon. Virtually all countries are in recession, except US and a few other countries.”

The EVC noted that foreign direct investment, FDI, from the sector had increased since the liberalization of the sector from mere $50 million in 2001 to over $60 billion in 2015.

He urged the Defence Attaches to avail themselves of the numerous opportunities provided by the sector to invite investors in their respective countries to invest in the Nigerian telecom sector for mutual benefits.

“One of the key initiatives the Commission is currently embarking upon    is how to increase broadband penetration in the country.

“The Commission in line with its phased development of Fibre Optic programme in the country, recently awarded licenses to two infrastructure companies to operate in the North Central and Lagos regions, while license for other regions would be awarded in accordance with our programme.

“It is envisaged that the successful development of fibre Optic across the length and breadth of Nigeria would accelerate the broadband penetration in the country, with resultant increase to GDP.