Pantami, Emefiele, Dambatta headline forum on Nigeria’s 5G plan
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The second edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) to drive the 5G policy to fruition will have Isa Pantami, Umar Danbatta and Godwin Emefiele headlining the forum on the 5G plan as Nigeria eyes a share from tech’s $13.2 trillion global gross domestic product (GDP).
Following the recent launch of National Policy on 5G for Digital Economy by President Muhammadu Buhari, Business Metrics Nigeria has put together the second edition of its Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) to drive the 5G Policy to fruition where key stakeholders in the Nigerian telecoms sector and beyond are set to brainstorm to actualise implementation of the National Policy on the fifth-generation (5G) technology in Nigeria to spur socio-economic gains.
The journey of the 5G evolution started many years ago and Nigeria surprised its peers in Africa when it emerged as the first country to exhibit a successful 5G trial in November 2019. This was followed by many other regulatory steps and the latest is the launching of the National 5G Policy and handing over of 5G spectrum to operators for the rollout of the technology.
In its usual way of driving policies to fruition through active dialogue that will lead to seamless implementation, this forum will feature all stakeholders that have been identified as critical and strategic to bringing the 5G dream to a reality in Nigeria.
Speaking on the forum, Omobayo Azeez, lead executive, PIAFo and managing editor, Business Metrics Nigeria, said: “The socio-economic benefits of 5G are enormous and every serious country will not only be interested in deploying the network but to also try to get it right. Since Nigeria is now leading other West African countries in the 5G race, we cannot afford any try and error.
“This second edition of PIAFo is private sector-led and most probably the last gathering of stakeholders across various sectors before 5G is eventually delivered to Nigerians. It is our aim that the forum would unearth a nexus of use cases that will further make an investment case for 5G to power its coverage in Nigeria, while also ensuring that no stone is left unturned in terms of regulatory demands to establish and sustain the 5G ecosystem.”
The forum, slated for Thursday, March 31, 2022, at Radisson BLU Hotel, Isaac Jones, Ikeja, Lagos with the theme: ‘Ascertaining Full Readiness to Make 5G work in Nigeria’, will be led by Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, as the special guest of honour.
Also, in a letter to the organisers dated March 1st, 2022, Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), confirmed that he would be delivering a keynote address at the forum, while restating the support of the NCC for the project.
According to the organisers, Godwin Emefiele, governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), will also be delivering a paper at the forum to address the forex shortage for the importation of telecoms equipment that has remained a bottleneck over the years, and how special forex window can be created for 5G forex demands.
In addition, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director-general and chief executive officer, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is billed to deliver a paper on the application of 5G to the various sectors of the economy to evolve smart agriculture, telemedicine, e-learning, smart security and smart industries in the country to power the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).