By Adeyemi Adepetun
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has rallied industry
players to explore benefits of the Africa Continent Free Trade Agreement
(AfCFTA), which Nigeria recently signed.
Specifically, NCC posited that Nigeria as the leading telecoms market in
sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), can offer the continent’s 1.2 billion people
telephony services that will boost regional trade.
The Commission however, said as much as there are huge benefits, Nigeria must also prepare for the challenges.
With liberalisation of telecommunications as one key area of the
continental agreement, NCC said operators in the country will need to
invest more in infrastructure to remain competitive in the liberalized
African market, which also offers them the opportunity of providing
services for 1.2 billion people in the continent.
Speaking in Lagos, at a two-day workshop, which ended yesterday, the
Chairman, NCC Board, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, said the Commission
recognises the opportunities that come with AfCFTA, which according to
him, if well explored can further strengthen Nigeria’s market.
“At the NCC, we recognise that the Continental Free Trade Agreement
means that we now have access to extend communications services to 1.2
billion people across the African continent.“With a larger proportion of
this population made up of young people, whose hunger for data and
mobile services continues to grow, there is no limit to achievement by
innovative operators/investors in terms of business opportunities.
“Just the way we recognise the opportunities for investors in the
African market, we also know that there are challenges, not to say
threats. Operators and investors within the communications ecosystem
must fully appreciate these dynamics, in order to ensure that they
prepare adequately for them. Hence, the need for this sensitisation
workshop,” he said.
Durojaiye added that the Commission will continue to improve the
performance of the rapidly-evolving industry by encouraging more
investments, engaging stakeholders on issues of common interest, and
charting viable courses for the growth and development of the sector and
economy.
Speaking earlier, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbata,
noted that with the ratification by 22 member states of the African
Union, the Free Trade Area is now the largest trading bloc in the world
in terms of participating countries, since the creation of the World
Trade Organisation (WTO).
“What all these mean, therefore, is that with the AfCFTA, the hitherto
business algorithm in Africa is going to change, as it will become
difficult for any country to be regarded as the largest market in
Africa, since the African continent is now going to be seen as one
single international trade bloc,” he said.
Danbatta, who was represented by NCC’s Director of Policy and
Authorisation, Mohammed Babajika, said the workshop was aimed at
examining how it could improve the competitiveness of the over $70
billion Nigerian communications market for the Continental Free Trade.
On his part, the Acting Director-General, Nigeria Office for Trade
Negotiation (NOTN), Liman Liman, who urged operators to explore the
AfCFTA advantage, said there was a need for strong regulatory
institution to prevent unfair competition in the market.Liman noted that
to be globally competitive, telecommunications infrastructure would
require a significant amount of investment both by domestic and foreign
investors.
Pages
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment