The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor. Umar Danbatta on Saturday in Kano said telecom investment inflow grew from $38B to $77B, by second quarter of 2023.
Prof. Umar Danbatta who spoke in Kano at a media parley revealed that the sector has contributed 16 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) within the period under review.
The EVC further explained that the statistics by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was based on the computation by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
He said “From about 8 per cent contribution to GDP in 2015, when we came on board as the EVC of NCC, quarterly GDP has increased significantly to reach its current threshold of 16 per cent and that this has continued to positively impact all aspects of the economy.”
Danbatta however attributed the success to “through sustained regulatory excellence and operational efficiency by the Commission, the industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the past two decades”.
Professor Danbatta stated that “we have witnessed explosive growth, improved regulatory standard, digital innovation that have generated global recognition”.
He said that telephone users in Nigeria has hit 218.9 million , internet subscribers 159.5 million , while the Broadband users in the country now have 88.7m within the period under review.
Danbatta listed issue of right of way (RoW), fibre cuts, high capital requirement for deployment, multiple taxations and regulations, among other frustrations constituted barriers to broadband deployment in the country.
The EVC however assured that the NCC would “navigate regulatory complexities, digital divide and literacy to tackle the challenges.”
