Experts Task New ICT Minister On Multiple Taxation, FX Intervention

Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology(ICT) sector have tasked the newly appointed minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Olatunbosun Tijani to prioritise the creation of a special FX window for operators in the industry. 

They also urged him of passing into Act, Critical National Infrastructure Bill, implement of agreement on Right of Way and tackle multiple taxation/regulation.

Stakeholders under the aegis of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) also advocated that an Industry Think Tank Team should be constituted to help the new Minister to fast-track growth and development in the sector.

Their agitations were contained in a congratulatory message signed by its president, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, and made available to LEADERSHIP. 

Recall that the newly appointed minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Tijani has assured that, among his priorities as minister would be, to leverage the smart application of technology to run the Nigerian economy.

In his immediate reaction on Twitter to the announcement as minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian-British entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), a Pan-African innovation and technology centre, said this will be done by working with all stakeholders to raise the level of productivity across the economy.

“I look forward to working with all stakeholders to raise the level of productivity across our economy through the smart application of technology. It’s an exciting time to build a bigger and better future for all Nigerians. Grateful to the President @officialABAT for the opportunity to join his team working to deliver a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria,” he said via his official Twitter handle @bosuntijani.

Emoekpere, however, advised that, “Tijani needs the expertise of industry Associations to embark on projects, and programmes that would speed up the growth, efficiency and effectiveness of the Nigerian Telecom and ICT Sector. The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), is poised and ready to work with the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to make his tenure impactful and we wish him success.”

The president averred that, ATCON salutes President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing a person with an IT background to the post and the fact that he is relatively young shows that a dynamic approach to the industry is being targeted.

“Of note also is the addition of ‘Innovation’ to the title of the ministry. It is a further pointer to the direction the current government intends to take in the communication industry. Considering one of the promises of a million digital jobs, a lot of innovation is truly required,” he stressed. 

The association, however, believes that there are still fundamental challenges facing the industry, especially, at the physical layer – infrastructure, which if unresolved will not allow success in the application layers where most of the digital jobs reside.

“There is a great need to develop, secure and enable further expansion of communication infrastructure in the country. With a solid Infrastructure Base, Innovative Digital Services which can take advantage of the growing Digital Economy can be further developed and expanded to all areas of the country, especially the unserved and underserved areas.

“Issues ranging from funding, security and permits still bedevil the industry although several strides have been made especially by the regulating bodies chiefly NCC as well as NITDA and now the NDPC,” it highlighted.