All you need to know about the Nigerian government’s Tech agenda for 2017

folarin okunola

March 20, 2017 11:13 AM

Spoiler: everything pretty much centers on consumer protection and other consumer stuff.

NCC CEO, Umar Garba Danbatta

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is the foremost regulatory agency in the tech industry and that means it’s policy direction affects a whole lot of things within the Tech sector.

Working closely with the Ministry of Communications, the NCC has laid out its intentions for 2017, which it has themed: The Year of the Telecom Consumer.

Everything pretty much centers on consumer protection and other consumer stuff. A program unveil was held at the NCC head office on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 — World Consumer Rights Day, a lot of things were said and we have broken down the necessary pieces for you.

From the speeches delivered by the Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu; Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman at the NCC, and Sunday Dare, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, this is what the government hopes to achieve this year:

Policies and political influences to improve on current challenges.
Create a digital awareness campaign “
NCC will continue to make sure “

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The NCC will “
NCC to intends to increase the awareness level and activation level of the Do Not Disturb (DND) and NCC Complaint Line services.
Plans to implement measures to reduce Dropped Call Rate to meet its industry benchmark of less than one percent (1% DCR).
Closely monitor, track and review the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of operators by Network Integrity and Technical Standards.
Plans to educate “

As you can probably tell, the general language is mostly focused on getting the consumers optimum bang for their buck, but whether its going to go down like that is another story entirely.

The NCC is also calling for all players in the tech industry, as well as the general public, to help it focus its policies and further solidify the direction it devotes its power and resources. Hopefully, industry players will take advantage of the open door to participate and the NCC will consider relevant solutions proffered for a better industry.

You can add your two cents here.

folarin okunola