Ousman Bah, the minister of communications and digital economy for the Gambia, has praised Nigeria for its enormous advancements in Telecommunication regulation, noting that it has become a model for other nations.
Reuben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), expressed the Minister’s praise in a statement.
The success that Nigeria experienced in the sector and the need for The Gambia to pursue the same road of success, according to Bah, who led a Gambian team that included industry regulators on a courtesy visit to the management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja.
He claimed that it is because of this that the West African country has finalised plans to set up an independent regulatory body for its telecommunications sector, similar to the NCC of Nigeria.
“The current industry statistics is proof that Nigeria is achieving her goals of digitisation of its economy.”
In order to enhance all sectors throughout the African continent and to accelerate economic growth and efficiency improvements in both countries, he sought the Commission’s strategic partnership and advising help.
In welcoming the team on behalf of Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Director of Legal and Regulatory Services Josephine Amuwa emphasized the significance of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003.
According to her, the NCA 2003 gives the Commission the authority to effectively carry out its regulatory responsibilities, one of which is to create an environment that fosters competition among industry operators and the provision of high-quality, cost-effective telecommunications services across the nation.
Amuwa discussed the Commission’s responsibility for ensuring that the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPFgoal )’s is fulfilled, which has resulted in the execution of numerous programs for the benefit of Nigerians.
“The USPF was also established by the NCA 2003 to ensure that services are extended into the rural communities to ensure that telecoms services are available in unserved and underserved areas, even in the urban areas, to meet government objectives.”
Amuwa also noted the Commission’s successes as being due in part to its consultative and cooperative approach to telecom regulation.
“The Commission adopts a participatory rule-making process where key players in the industry are invited to a public hearing for further deliberations to ensure that the stakeholders’ views are considered in establishing these regulatory guidelines,” she said.
Amuwa advised the group to visit the Commission’s website and review any relevant published regulatory rules there. She clarified that the NCA 2003’s administration and provisions are fully implemented by the guidelines.