The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has inaugurated a 15-man Evaluation Committee to assess the 2020 Telecommunications based research from academics in the Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The committee chaired by Mu’azu Bashir, a professor of Computer and Control Engineering and Head of Computer Engineering Department at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was inaugurated at the NCC’s Abuja office.
Danbatta said that the initiative is geared towards enhancing the telecom industry/ICT sector.
“We want to continuously support research projects that can lead to the development of new products and services in the industry as the key enabler of the nation’s digital economy. We are all aware of the appreciable contributions of the Nigerian telecommunication sector to the growth of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) over the years, which peaked at 14.53 per cent in second quarter of 2020,” he said.
In a statement by the commission’s Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, yesterday, Danbatta, said funding Research and Development (R&D) is fundamental to ensuring that the needs of consumers, adding that the Digital Economy-based Research Innovations project underlines the importance of funding R&D.
