Nigeria: ‘NCC working to ease digital adoption for businesses’

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is working with various stakeholders, including consumers, to ensure that more businesses embrace digital platforms for delivering their services to the consumer, Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has said.

Danbatta said the NCC would be informing consumers on how they would be be protected, prevent online frauds or stop them from falling victims of cybercrime while legitimately making use of the internet.

He spoke at the 43rd International Trade Fair in Kano. It had as theme: ‘Promoting a Connected Environment of Endless Opportunities.

“Indeed, digitilisation of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector of the  economy is strongly connected to telecommunications, giving the power the telecom sector has to positively disrupt traditional business models.

“This explains why the growing demand for connectivity is pressuring telecom companies to upgrade their telecommunications infrastructure.

“As a result, network transformation has become far more imperative for innovative businesses, allowing them to address changing customer expectations,”  Danbatta said.

The commission’s CEO explained that, with high-speed internet, mobile apps, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), social media networking sites and other means of digital communication, staff of a company can exchange information in real time and reach out to prospective clients.

“These technologies support branding efforts and customer service strategy. The SMEs can leverage ICT platforms to run their operations, thereby reducing operational costs, saving office space, increasing productivity across and ultimately increasing bottom-lines.

“NCC will protect and empower individual and corporate consumers from unfair practices orchestrated by the service providers, based on the mandate that consumers of telecommunications services deserve to get value for their money and be treated right,” he restated.

In his speech, Minister of Defense, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi, congratulated the Interim Management committee saddled with the leadership of Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA), for organising the Trade Fair in record time.