The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta, has announced that Nigeria is now ranked 11th in the world in terms of internet penetration and seventh in mobile phone usage.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day Emerging Technology Forum for the Telecommunications Industry in Abuja, Danbatta highlighted the importance of digital transformation in maximizing the social and economic benefits of the digital era.
The NCC’s Network Readiness Index (NRI) team collected global data, analyzing the performance of 131 economies across four categories: technology infrastructure, governance, people, and impact.
Nigeria, known as a telecommunications powerhouse, has 82 percent of the continent’s telecom subscribers and accounts for 29 percent of the continent’s internet consumption. The country ranks eleventh globally in terms of internet penetration and seventh in mobile phone usage.
Despite these impressive metrics, Nigeria’s NRI ranking for 2022 is 109th out of 131 countries, a fact that Danbatta described as both humbling and challenging.
Recognizing the critical role of network readiness in social and economic transformation, Danbatta emphasized the need for prioritizing network readiness as a strategic necessity and mandate.
He also highlighted the potential of digital transformation to create new inequalities that hinder the younger generation’s ability to engage in the digital economy, while calling for reskilling and upskilling opportunities to be accessible and affordable to foster inclusive and sustainable economies and societies.
The NRI serves as a guiding metric to measure the role and impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). To navigate this era of transformation, Danbatta encouraged stakeholders to embrace innovation, make strategic investments, and cultivate a growth-friendly ecosystem.
He urged participants of the Emerging Technology Forum to explore emerging technologies and their potential applications, brainstorming how they can be leveraged to overcome specific challenges in the industry.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Chidi Diugwu, Head of New Media and Information Security at NCC, emphasized the importance of leveraging insights from the NRI to guide policies, investments, and collaborations, enabling Nigeria to harness the potentials of emerging technologies.
Diugwu called for investment in human capital and the nurturing of innovation to bridge the digital divide and create a prosperous and inclusive digital future for Nigeria.
Ubale Maske, NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, stated that the NRI is an indicator of how the country is adapting to the global digital transformation. He highlighted the forum’s objective of examining barriers and drivers of emerging technologies in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
