NCC contributes N2.27tr to Nigeria’s GDP, says Dambatta

THE Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the contribution of the telecommunication sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from 8.5 percent in 2015 to 14.3 percent as at September 2020, amounting to N2.272 trillion.

Executive Vice Chairman, Umar Garba Dambatta who disclosed this when members of the House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunication visited the Commission on an oversight also disclosed that Investments in the sector has risen from 38 billion dollar in 2015 to over 70 billion dollars now.

He told the lawmakers that the commission paid over N344 billion into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the federation within the period under review, an average of N70 billion annually.

He put the figure of active telecom subscribers in the country at about 205.25 million with a tele density of 107 percent as at the end of September 2020.

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He explained that even though Nigeria’s population stands at about 20 million, it was possible to have such a figure of active subscribers because “while some people have one active line, others have two or three active lines”.

He told the lawmakers that “Way back in 2015 when we came into office, we articulated our strategic plans 2015 to 2020. So, this strategic plan is about to expire. This include optimizing the use of spectrum, improving the quality of service, empowering and protecting the consumer. These are some of the things in our agenda which this committee has identified with.

“During this period under review, there is an increase in telecom contribution to GDP from 8.5 percent in 2015 to 14.3 percent now. In the second quarter of 2020, we recorded 15.5 percent contribution to GDP.