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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is committed to accelerating broadband access and promoting cyber-protection amongst businesses owners in Nigeria.
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“As a regulator of telecommunication, the commission is in active collaboration with other agencies in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, as well as with other public sector institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to ensure that policies become effective in curtailing cyber-attacks and threats on businesses,” said Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC,Prof. Umar Danbatta, at the 10th edition of Business 360 Clinics organised by Abuja Enterprises Agency (AEA) in Abuja.
Danbatta reiterated the NCC’s commitment to continually drive initiatives that accelerate broadband deployment to increase penetration and make internet connection readily available to telecom consumers.
While speaking on the theme of the event, “Technology Utilization and Innovation: Effects on SME Profitability and Productivity” in the context of the regulatory activities of the commission, the telecoms regulator noted that NCC has been at the heart of providing the digital drive for transforming businesses and sustaining socio-economic activities in Nigeria.
During the panel session titled “Technology Adoption: A must for MSMEs Sustainability and Competitiveness (Challenges and Ease of Use),” Danbatta who was represented by NCC’s Assistant Director, Digital Economy, Paul Okeke, highlighted the NCC’s commitment towards technological and digital transformation in a manner that makes entrepreneurship seamless.
To address the issue of challenges on digital literacy, he told the audience that the commission has strategic partnerships with various organizations including Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) which birthed initiatives such as Digital Economy Academy where business owners learn about security risks and online threats in a 12-course programme for three months.
The NCC boss charged entrepreneurs to leverage technology to harness the benefits of these initiatives to sustain their businesses.
The participants and business owners also seized the opportunity of the platform to make complaints and resolve their business-related challenges while adopting technology for their various businesses during the interactive session. Representatives of relevant agencies at the event also seized the opportunity to attend to enquiries from participants who are running businesses and those who are aspiring entrepreneurs.
