Pantami Reaffirms FG’s Commitment to Indigenous Telecom Content; Danbatta Lauds Efforts
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Issa Pantami, has reaffirmed Federal Government’s determination to reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.
Pantami, who spoke at the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 in Lagos, got immediate commendation from the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who told the audience that the Minister’s efforts and support have spurred the Commission to take certain steps that have yielded immediate results that were being showcased at the expo.
The expo was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.
Pantami emphasised that Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products. He, consequently, warned against importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria.
He also took a swipe at the recent efforts to impose five per cent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria, arguing that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.
“I was not consulted before the decision on five per cent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 per cent to the country’s revenue,” he said.
L-R: Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency; Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NCC; Mr. Olatunbosun Alake, Special Assistant, Innovation and Technology to Lagos State Governor; Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Hon. (Prince) Akeem Adeyemi, Chairman, House Committee on Telecommunications; Prof, Adeolu Akande, Chairman, NCC Board of Commissioners, during the maiden Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) 2022 in Lagos at Lagos recently.
Pantami Reaffirms FG’s Commitment to Indigenous Telecom Content; Danbatta Lauds Efforts
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Issa Pantami, has reaffirmed Federal Government’s determination to reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.
Pantami, who spoke at the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 in Lagos, got immediate commendation from the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who told the audience that the Minister’s efforts and support have spurred the Commission to take certain steps that have yielded immediate results that were being showcased at the expo.
The expo was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.
Pantami emphasised that Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products. He, consequently, warned against importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria.
He also took a swipe at the recent efforts to impose five per cent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria, arguing that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.
“I was not consulted before the decision on five per cent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 per cent to the country’s revenue,” he said.
