Tag Archives: Umar Garba Danbatta

NCC’s Danbatta to receive Zik Prize award

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Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice-chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is to be honoured with the prestigious Zik Prize Professional Leadership award in Lagos.

Umar Garba Danbatta

The award ceremony will take place on December 6 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos and will be presented by the Public Policy Research & Analysis Centre.

Danbatta and other prominent personalities were selected for their contributions to national development. According to the organisers, he has led the charge to drive Nigeria’s industrial revolution and knowledge-based economy leveraging telecommunications.

“Telecommunications’ contribution to the gross domestic productof Nigeria has grown by 70% from 2015 to 2020, while broadband penetration has increased significantly to over 45%,” said the organisers.

“Danbatta’s leadership has enhanced transparency and innovation in the sector, such that recently NCC was acknowledged by the International Telecommunication Union as one of Africa’s foremost regulators.

“The NCC boss has transformed the commission into a regulator of global acclaim and the establishment and implementation of the NCC’s auspicious strategic Eight-Point Agenda under Danbatta has given the direction to the activities of the commission.”

This year’s event also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Zik Prize series, which will be chaired by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, while the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, will function as the royal father of the day.

The organisers also noted that the sector’s improved contribution to GDP, as well as improvements in quality of service delivery, broadband infrastructural development, broadband penetration, effective spectrum utilisation, consumer empowerment and technology innovation have been phenomenal under Danbatta’s leadership.

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Danbatta, NCC honoured at NTITA

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Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice-chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been awarded the Broadband Oxygenator of the Year award.

Umar Garba Danbatta

Receiving the honour as part of the Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecoms Awards (NTITA) in Abuja, Danbatta was recognised for his commitment to the development of Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure to support the country’s digital economy drive.

In addition, the NCC received the Outstanding Contribution to Driving Greater Broadband Penetration award, while other industry stakeholders, including the minister of communications and digital economy Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, received other awards.

NCC and Danbatta’s awards come after the telecoms sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP increased from 8.5% in 2015 to 14.3% as of the second quarter of 2020, translating to N2.272 trillion (US$5.9bn) in financial value.

Olusola Teniola, president of Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, one of the organisations behind the NTITA, said: “Our thinking is that if we decide to ignore the contribution that our sector has made to the development of Nigeria by not recognising the actors that made it possible, what we are saying invariably is that we are unappreciative of their concerted efforts in changing the story of our industry.”

Teniola added that he hoped the awards would spur the Nigerian government to pay more attention to the sector and encourage state governments to continue to support the efforts of the industry to transform their various states into digital cities.

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NCC boss receives award

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Umar Garba Danbatta, the executive vice-chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been awarded a National Service Excellence Award.

Umar Danbatta

National Association of State Assembly Legislators (NASAL) honoured Danbatta with the award in recognition of his transformational leadership in deepening access to telecommunications services across Nigeria in the last five years.

NASAL director general Uchechukwu Chukwuma, who led a five-member delegation to the commission to present the award in Abuja, said the award also recognised Danbatta’s role as a change agent, a catalyst for national development and a great Nigerian patriot.

“Danbatta’s efforts have manifested in enhanced access to the internet by our people, which has given them the opportunity to participate and ventilate their views constructively,” Chukwuma said.

“As you know, citizens’ participation in political activities is one of the attributes of an ideal democracy, and Professor Danbatta has helped to promote this ideal.

“The NASAL’s award to Danbatta is justified by the statistics from the commission, which showed that when Danbatta came on board five years ago, 217 access gap clusters were identified in the country, with 40 million Nigerians excluded from access to telecoms services. Five years after, however, the access gaps have reduced to 114 clusters, with additional 15 million Nigerians now connected.”

NCC director of public affairs Ikechukwu Adinde, who accepted the award on behalf of Danbatta, said: “It is heartwarming that NASAL has found our EVC and CEO deserving of this award. The award is an acknowledgement that his accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. We at the NCC value this gesture, which writes the history of Professor Danbatta’s achievements in a very distinctive and enduring way.

“From the recent industry statistics and other relevant macro indicators, the telecoms sector, under Danbatta, has recorded positive growth in terms of active voice subscriptions, internet subscriptions, teledensity, broadband penetration and contribution to the gross domestic product.”

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Senate set to confirm regulator’s job

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s Umar Garba Danbatta is waiting for the Senate to confirm his reappointment as chief telecoms regulator for another five years.

Umar Garba Danbatta

Danbatta, executive vice chairman and CEO of the NCC, whose record was discussed recently during a Senate screening committee meeting, was applauded for his performance and leadership, which has helped accelerate the growth of the telecoms sector.

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari announced his intention to reappoint Danbatta last month, pending confirmation by the Senate.

According to committee member Ibrahim Oloriegbe, the screening and confirmation exercise is in accordance with the Nigerian Communications Commission Act (NCA) 2003.

Danbatta said the implementation of NCC’s strategic eight-point agenda, which he put in place when he assumed office in 2015, provided the basis for most of the commission’s achievements.

He thanked the lawmakers for their support and pledged his renewed commitment to further accelerate the growth of the telecoms industry as the key driver of the country’s digital economy vision over the next five years.

“As a commission, we are committed to challenging our current achievements. Consequently, we are poised to work more with the National Assembly and other necessary stakeholders in order to ensure we take Mr President’s digital agenda for the country to the next level in the next five years,” he said.

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NCC set for mobile 5G trial

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed it is ready to roll out fifth-generation (5G) mobile broadband licensing.

Umar Garba Danbatta

Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the NCC, told the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecom World event in Budapest, Hungary, that the 26, 38 and 42GHz spectrum frequencies have been reserved for 5G.

“We are waiting in anticipation for the standardisation process to be completed at the World Radio Communication in Egypt and then we can see how we can go forward with licensing process in the three frequencies,” he said.

“The other important step that African countries are taking is to address new forms of social anxiety occasioned by this emerging technology, 5G. There’s also the regulatory anxiety. Therefore, to do that, because of the practice we had in the past, every service we deploy is normally preceded by proof-of-concept trials. And 5G is not an exception.

“This is ongoing in Nigeria. The steps we are taking during the trials will involve the security agencies, who have a say on the security dimension of this new technology when it’s eventually rolled out. So we want to ensure they are fully involved.”

The NCC boss said the 5G roll-out will enhance broadband mobile services in various countries as well as address the anxiety of citizens by giving information about this important new technology.

“Whether all African countries will be ready by 2020 for the roll-out of commercial 5G services is something I cannot answer immediately, but I know our state of readiness is such that spectrum is being reserved in many countries and many are also doing trials. Nigeria is getting ready to do this trial.

“In Nigeria, we have divided the country into seven zones, and each has been assigned an infrastructure company to deploy broadband infrastructure.”

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