FG determine to reverse trend of importation of telecommunication products – Pantami

The Federal government is committed to reverse the trend of importation of telecommunication products into the country, where local production of was possible, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has said.

Speaking at the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Pantami revealed that efforts towards limiting reliance on foreign telecommunication products have impressively contributed to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Minister warned Service providers or any stakeholder against importation of SIM cards which he said can be produced in Nigeria.

The expo was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.

He expressed his disapproval of attempts to impose 5% excise on telecommunication services in Nigeria, which he said, the ministry was not consulted before taking the action.

According to him, the timing for increase in duty was wrong and would not grow the telecom industry, given the economic hardships that Nigerians are passing through.

“I was not consulted before the decision on five per cent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 per cent to the country’s revenue,” he said.

Pantami noted that that his position was already shared by the National Assembly which was also not consulted on the issue before it was announced.

“We must do what we need to do to protect the industry. Beyond making our opinions known, we will take legitimate and legal steps to stop any plan against the interest of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry,” he said.

Speaking further on the efforts of the Commission to pursue indigenous content in the industry, EVC of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the objective of the NPPIC is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry.

Prof. Danbatta said, the Minister’s efforts and support has spurred the Commission to take certain steps that yielded immediate results that were being showcased at the expo.

He said the Commission has taken various steps to ensure that the process of implementing NPPIC is painstakingly pursued through capacity, strengthening, institutional building and strategic policy tools, which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.