Home News NCC Committed to Promoting ICT Innovations – Danbatta

NCC Committed to Promoting ICT Innovations – Danbatta

by Our Reporter
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has, once again, emphasised the
commitment of the Commission to the promotion of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Innovations capable enhancing
socio-economic growth in Nigeria.

This commitment is in line with item 4 of the Commission’s 8-Point
Agenda which speaks to promoting ICT innovation and investment
opportunities in the telecoms industry through promotion of digital
knowledge and skills that can positively impact various sectors of the
economy.

Danbatta expressed the NCC’s resolve, while addressing the 25
shortlisted technological Innovators at a three-day Maiden Edition of
the Innovation Competition and Exhibition focused on “Promoting
Innovation and Creativity in the Telecoms Sector”. The 3-day event which
ended 19th December 2019, held at Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Lagos
Campus.

Felix Adeoye, Commission Secretary, who represented Danbatta at the
forum, said the exhibition had been organised to bring together
competitors from technology hubs with novel ideas and projects to
showcase their talents and innovations in ICT in order to  promote tech
hubs and start-ups for new breakthroughs and business delivery.

According to Adeoye, through the exhibition, the Commission will assist
contestants to bring their ideas to fruition and give them the platform
to present their innovations to both local and global venture investors.

In his keynote address, Ubale Maska, the Executive Commissioner,
Technical Services, NCC, who was represented by Ephraim Nwokonneya,
Director, Research and Development, NCC, stated that the ICT sector is a
key driver of digital transformation and digital economy in Nigeria and
the world over.

Accordingly, Nwokonneya said the Federal Government had recently adopted
a digital economic framework that will fast track the country’s agenda
to tap from the enormous potentials of the 4th industrial revolution.

“The Commission is committed to deliver on the mandate to facilitate the
development of the core pillars of digital infrastructure, digital
platforms, digital skills acquisitions and digital entrepreneurship,” he
emphasised.

After series and rounds of presentations, discussions as well as
questions and answers sessions by the panel of judges and focusing on
local content component of the innovators’ business plans, 10
best-in-class innovative ideas, were shortlisted out of the 25 tech
innovators from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

From the 10 shortlisted innovators, QMartins Fidelis, founder of Qatalog
Automates emerged the best and won the first prize, WICRYPT came second
and Phaheem Pharmaceuticals Limited came third. The three leading
innovators won N3 million, N2 million and N1 million respectively.

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