Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has revealed that it plans to introduce policies that would encourage the telecommunications sector to adopt clean and sustainable energy sources in order to reduce its carbon footprint in the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who spoke during a roundtable with academia, industry and other stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday, said the Commission was determined to realize the goal of disclosure.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), while speaking on the sideline of the forum, said that there was no going back on end user tariff hike of telecom services. The MNOs, which spoke through its group, the Association of Licensed Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), noted that they were engaging with relevant stakeholders in order to make the hike happen.
Prof. Danbatta, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner of Technical Services at NCC, Mr Ubale Maska, stated that the policy would serve as a framework for telecom service providers so as to contribute to a greener future.
At the event, which was themed “Refocusing Academic Research towards Alternative Clean Energy: Panacea to Paucity of Energy in the Telecom Sector,” Prof. Danbata said that, NCC is of the belief that the policy will not only benefit the environment but also drive innovation and create new business opportunities within the industry and achieving this objectives would require collaboration and partnership with the academia and other stakeholders.
According to him, academia plays an important role in advancing research and innovation that transform industries, noting that the academia’s expertise, knowledge and insights would guide in developing feasible alternative sources of clean energy that the telecommunications industry could leverage for a sustainable energy supply.
In his own words, “it is essential to identify and explore new technologies, such as solar, wind, and biomass, that can power our communication infrastructure efficiently and sustainably. We need the research of the academia to help us understand the potential of these alternative energy sources, address their challenges, and develop strategies for their implementation in the telecom sector.
“Secondly, we seek to promote research in academia that leverages digital technology to improve the livelihoods of Nigerians.”
The NCC Boss further explained that the telecom sector was at the forefront of digital transformation, adding that it was necessary to harness its potential in order to enhance the lives of citizens.
