Chinenye Anuforo
The president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olushola Teniola, has said that the adoption of creativity and innovation would automatically lead to further investment in the sector both locally and internationally.
Teniola who said this at the third edition of Nigeria Tech Innovation and Telecom Awards last week in Lagos, explained that new innovations require further investment for its continuity. And so, ATCON use reward system in the form of giving awards to establishments who see innovation as a key driver of the industry are acknowledged and motivated to do more.
“As ATCON took the initiative to collaborate with the organizer to give awards to some government institutions and telecom and IT companies that have championed innovation and creativity in the last few years in order to reposition the efficiency of the industry. This innovation has impacted positively on the products and services being rendered by all these organizations and ATCON thought the only way to encourage further innovation in the industry is to reward those who are not resting on their oasis but striving to make a difference in the sector. Nigeria as a nation can only take advantage of the digital revolution that is going on in the world if more attention is given towards youth creativity.”
The ATCON boss said that the group hopes that government would pay more attention to the sector by removing all barriers that are militating against the growth of the industry like multiple taxation, right of way issues and lack of disbursement of forex at the official rate to our sector.
Teniola hinted that ATCON has concluded plans to embark on an evaluation exercise of the Nigerian telecom industry. The book is expected to cover between 2015 to 2019 (inclusive).
“It is important that we emphasize the fact that the Nigerian telecommunications sector has gone through a lot of structural changes since it was liberalized many years ago. As a forward looking and proactive association in this space our association prides itself with the protection of investments already made ($70bn) and we are working very hard to further increase the level of investment that is attracted to the industry through research and development. Some of the principal reasons for the evaluation are: To showcase policy improvements and innovations during the period under review and its attendant results.