By Constance Athekame
Abuja – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated a committee to harness the 56 research findings available to the commission towards improve telecommunications services.
Its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said while inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Wednesday, that the committee will take advantage of the diverse areas of telecommunications engineering and establish a synergy between NCC and the country’s university system.
Danbatta said that the exercise would help address the challenges in the telecommunications industry, particularly those associated with quality of service.
“We have received 56 research proposals in the diverse areas of telecommunications engineering.
“And the committee we have just inaugurated is going to access these proposals and come up with those proposals that will improve services in the telecommunications industry, the importance of the synergy between Nigeria communications Commission, and the Nigeria educational system especially the Nigeria university system.
“A lot of research is going on in the tertiary institutions especially the universities.
“Most of these research outputs are very relevant to addressing challenges in the telecommunications industry particularly challenges associated with quality of service.
“And we are of the opinion that if we can translate some of these research outputs, even if it is going to be in a pilot scheme, test its efficacy towards solving some of these problems that are manifest in the telecom industry, we will succeed in really improving telecommunication services to virtually all Nigerians irrespective of where they are.’’
The executive vice chair said that the partnership with the universities and other research institutions began about four years ago.
He said: “The continuation of the engagement with the institutes attests to the commitment of the commission to tapping their wealth of experience, especially in the area of research in our universities to find solutions to problems in the telecommunications sector.’’
According to him, the event is the accumulation of the collective efforts, which began in 2013, when the pilot phase of the initiative commenced.
“I urge you all to be dispassionate and fair in your assessment constituent with the present administration’s desire to further develop and deepen the technological trajectory of the Nigerian telecommunications industry in line with our eight point agenda.
“Specifically, the fourth and fifth items of that agenda are on promoting ICT innovation and investment opportunities and facilitating strategic collaborations and partnerships with relevant stakeholders to foster ICT advancement for sustainable economic development and social advancement,’’ he said.
He stated that the committee is expected to be committed, thorough, and to provide reliable advice that will assist the commission in achieving its objective of promoting telecommunications-based innovation from the academic world.
Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Dr Ephriam Okejiri, said that the task before his team is to study the research findings and make recommendations to the commission.
Okejiri, who is also the Director of Technology Transfer Registration at the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, said the committee would consider the findings that could be sponsored by the commission towards promoting telecoms-based innovations in the country.
“As a developing nation, it is important for the country to develop research findings locally.
“As the commission promotes these innovations, people, who are involved learn skills as well as develop products and services that can reduce our dependence on foreign technology.
“The skills they acquire can be used to drive many aspects the economy of the country,’’ he said.