By Felix Ugboja
ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has pledged to offer more funding to Nigerian universities to enable more practical and life changing researches in Information Communication Technology (ICT).
The Commission made this known on Thursday during its stakeholders’ consultative forum with Academia themed ‘’The Place of Academia in the Telecoms Ecosystem.’’
The event took place at Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja, and was chaired by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta.
According to Danbatta, the Nigerian academia are revered partners in the development of ICT in Nigeria. He pointed out that the major challenge for developing countries is in preparing the citizenry for the knowledge economy; a world where technology dominates and activates every aspect of life. According to Danbatta, the need for research and its funding is important because those who live outside the technology ecosystem will be trapped in the past.
‘’Our response as a government agency has been to focus on a critical mass of the society domiciled in institutions of learning across the country. I am happy to announce that over the years, the commission through its various projects like the Advanced Digital Awareness Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI), Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) for institutions, University Inter Campus Connectivity (UNICC) and Tertiary Institutions Knowledge Centre (TIKC); implemented by the Digital Bridge Institute and the Universal Service Provision Fund, is deepening ICT adoption and use, that drives knowledge acquisition opportunities in our institutions,’’ he said.
Danbatta said some of the purposes the intervention packages are designed to achieve include provision of conducive environment and necessary facilities for ICT education; develop ICT skills among Nigerians through capacity building of staff of Nigerian tertiary institutions; create seamless connection between the universities and their medical colleges and facilitate bi-directional communication for the purpose of sharing resources; ensure e-health; facilitate digital lifestyle to enhance teaching; improve global competitiveness and ranking of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions among others.
According to him, the Commission has also provided computer hardware to over 2000 institutions including teaching hospitals and colleges, trained 38, 136 teaching and non-teaching staff in tertiary institutions, deployed 454.9km of fibre optic to 24 universities, and 11 institutions have benefitted from the UnICC End-User (electronics).
The Commission, he said, has an abiding commitment to provide network services and applications as contained in the 2003 NCA Act, but he also bemoaned the inability of some institutions to live up to expectation.