The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that it will give grants to some universities in the country to stimulate innovations within the tech eco-system.
The commission is also inaugurating professorial chairs in some universities across Nigeria as part of its strategy to open up opportunities in research that will development the industry.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC, stated this on Monday at the opening of a two day stakeholder’s forum on Emerging Technologies Research and ICT Innovation with the theme: Developing Nigeria Tech Eco-system Imperative for Improving Local Content.
Danbatta who was represented by Mr. Ephraim Nwokonneya, Director, Research and Development, NCC, said that the grants would help the universities to conduct research in areas that would help the development of the industry.
Although he didn’t give the value of the grants and the academic chair, he however noted that the essence of the grants to make it feasible to unlock potentials that would ensure the growth of the industry and improve the local content of the tech eco-system of the country.
He said that the innovations that the grants would provide is for the benefit of all Nigerians, adding that the NCC is already giving support to about 82 tech hub that are unlocking potentials across the country.
Earlier at the opening ceremony of the event, the EVC of the Commission disclosed that the NCC has been visiting tech hub across the six Geo-political zones of Nigeria to assess their development and challenges saying that “we need to assist the various tech hub with the right regulatory intervention to ease their operations.”
Danbatta said that globalization has made essential to for the government and the private sector to remain competitive and improve local content saying that it is imperative that the right framework is developed to help indigenous companies.
He said: “It is therefore become necessary to innovate on how to access segments of the consumer wallets not presently allocated to communication by providing solutions to consumer needs in other vertical areas education, health, government services made available through telecoms network infrastructure.”