Bayelsa Govt, NCC Seal Pact To Boost Digital Infrastructure

The Bayelsa State Government has secured a partnership with the Nigerian Communications Commission to boost the state’s telecommunication infrastructure.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, announced the development during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Bayelsa State to the Management of NCC in Abuja.

“The NCC will collaborate with Bayelsa to provide training for the youth as long as the State Government provides necessary tools required to achieve objective outcomes of such capacity building initiatives,” Danbatta said in a statement issued on Saturday by the NCC.

But the commission wants the state to review its right of way charges imposed by the state government.

NCC’s Director, Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwaulune, who represented the EVC told the Bayelsa State’s Commissioner for Communications, Science and Technology, Dr. Promise Ekio Ekio and his delegation the implication of the right of way charges on digital infrastructure deployment.

Ekio, who led the delegation, said Bayelsa state has identified the Information and Communications Technology sector as a vital sector that would accelerate the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the State.

He said, “It is our fervent hope that this meeting will be the beginning of a partnership that will blossom in the areas of digital training and rapid ICT infrastructural development, for the benefit of the people of Bayelsa State and other Nigerians living in the State.

“We want to assure the Commission of our preparedness to work closely with it to fulfill its mandate in the State as well as actualise the vision of the Bayelsa State government to leverage ICT for accelerating development,” Ekio said.

The Commissioner told the commission that the State will also provide necessary incentives to accelerate ICT deployment in the State.

Danbatta called for collaborative effort to ensure that relevant infrastructure needed to deliver ubiquitous telecom services to achieve Bayelsa’s socio-economic goal are prioritized.

The EVC reiterated that the commission will ensure that infrastructure gaps in the telecommunications sector are bridged to accomplish government’s vision in the context of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-30.

On the Right of way charges, he called for the state to revisit the charges which have impacted the deployment of digital infrastructure in the state.

Danbatta said, “This will boost digital infrastructure rollout in towns and communities in Bayelsa State and environs for effective economic diversification.

“The digital economy rides on broadband and ICT infrastructure and one of the factors inhibiting access to telecommunication infrastructure is Right of Way administration by States and other state actors.”