The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of Nigerian Communication Commission, (NCC) Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said the nation’s Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) is one of the most comprehensive plans which encompasses all existing developmental documents.

Prof. Umar Danbatta said this
Tuesday in Abuja during the official launch of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) 2021-2026, podcast and a compendium of Executive Vice-Chairman’s (EVC’s) speeches.

Danbatta said the plan is as a result of the consideration of several advanced documents.

“We have taken cognisance of the several notable advancements in the Nigerian telecommunications industry within the last five years, as well as the current global realities such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Strategic Plan (2020-2023), the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 for a digital Nigeria, the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the federal government.

“Thus, the new plan has been guided by and aligned to the NNBP (2020-2025), the NDEPS (2020-2030), the SMP (2020-2024), the ITU Strategic Plan and the ERGP of the federal government,” Danbatta said.

According to him, the new SVP 2021-2025 has five items, such as Organisational Renewal for Operational Efficiency and Regulatory Excellence; Facilitating the Provision of Infrastructure for a Digital Economy which fosters national development.

Others are Promoting Fair Competition, Inclusive Growth, Increased investment and Innovative Services; Improve Quality of Service (QoS) for Enhanced Consumer Quality of Experience (QoE); and Facilitating Strategic Collaboration and Partnership.

He further said to ensure strong commitment to its implementation, the new SVP, also has inbuilt initiatives, key performance indicators developed from inception and activities tied to an implementation responsibility matrix.

It also incorporates timelines and a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism, and is equally outcome-based and e-commendation-driven with follow-up actions to guide the NCC in operationalising the plan and assessing its performance over time.

“The new SVP, no doubt, embodies several innovative elements deliberately designed to re-invent and transform the telecom ecosystem within the context of regulation.

“This takes me to the next innovative project, the Compendium of EVC’s Speeches and presentations,” Dambatta said.

He noted that as the chief regulator of the telecoms sector, he had the opportunity to deliver several speeches and make presentations both locally and internationally.

He added that in order to preserve these speeches for historical reference, “we have carefully selected some of the speeches which capture the successes and challenges of the Nigerian communications sector from my perspective”.

The EVC observed that the book titled “Catalysing Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Transformation through Broadband Infrastructure” is sure to give readers the historical background and authoritative context to the growth that is now being enjoyed by the industry.

The House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Communications, Hon. Hakeen Adeyemi, while congratulating the EVC, noted that the communications sector has become the major contributor to the nation’s gross domestic product (GPD).

The book reviewer, Prof. Chidi Akujor, noted that the book has 531 pages, including 27 preliminary pages, eight sections with each section corresponding with the eight-point agenda of the Commission.