NCC Funds Research To Develop Telecom Industry

Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has indicated interest to fund academic research in Nigerian universities and polytechnics with a view to stimulating growth and development of the telecommunication industry in the country.

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive chairman and chief executive Officer of NCC, said this in Kano yesterday at the roundtable workshop organised to build a mutual working relationship between the industry, the academic institutions and the regulator in order to serve the telecom subscribers better.

Prof. Dambatta emphasised the need for innovation in the industry, stressing that for any telecommunication company to survive in the current competitive market, it must always be ready to embrace new innovations.

“Every telecom provider will aspire to transform into a future-looking telecommunication company. Recognising this increasing phenomenon the commission has among other things directed funds to encourage innovation by boosting research and development in universities across the country” he said.

He added that the commitment of the NCC in the research in the telecomm industry was aimed at facilitating contributions from the academia so as to ensure sustainability and economic growth.

He said any institution or researcher with a relevant research proposal that could benefit the industry was eligible to seek for the commission’s sponsorship.

The workshop, with the theme: “Synergy by Academia, Industry and Regulators as Accelerator for Innovation, Industry Growth and Sustainability”, was attended by 10 universities from the North East and the North West.

Prof. Adamu Idris Tanko, deputy vice chancellor (Academic Services) of Bayero University Kano (BUK), who represented Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, vice chancellor, at the opening session of the two-day workshop, expressed optimism in the collaboration, saying it would pave way to addressing the longstanding issues bedevilling the telecomm industry in the country.

Source: Communicationsweek