The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has inaugurated a 5-man Committee to propose measures that would help address issues confronting Telecom operators in the country.
According to a statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Kania Andeyaba on Friday in Abuja, the Ministerial Committee has 6-point terms of reference.
The minister said, “as a major contributor to our country’s GDP, the telecommunications industry is critical to the development of our nation as it helps to spur innovation and promote digital inclusion among Nigerians.
” It is therefore imperative that we support it in delivering the best quality services to the people in a manner that encourages holistic development, and removes growth”, the minister said while speaking on the goal of the Ministerial Committee.
The terms of Reference for the Ministerial Committee include, “review the operational conditions of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria and propose strategic initiatives to cushion the impact of macroeconomic challenges on the operations of the Nigerian telecom industry.
“Review fiscal measures with direct or consequential impact on the telecoms industry and propose initiatives that can provide relief to telecoms operators.
III. Consider and propose incentives to improve backward integration in the telecoms industry with a view to cumulative reductions in dependence on foreign exchange (FX) for the provisioning of telecoms services in Nigeria.
“Review shared services and infrastructure arrangements in the industry and propose incentives and policy direction to improve the competitiveness of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
“Review existing local content strategies for the telecoms sector, to realign all local content initiatives and programs with the programs and policies of the current administration.
“The committee may co-opt or invite any competent person, firm, or organisation to provide information or make suggestions in line with any of these Terms of Reference,”.
The statement further stated that,” the Committee, which has one month to turn its report in, will look into all aspects of the industry and isolate the critical challenges faced by it with a view to proffering workable solutions as it aligns with the programmes and policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, the minister said.
