Reps vow to tackle challenges in Nigeria’s telecom sector

The House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications in Nigeria has committed to offering necessary parliamentary interventions and support to address the challenges faced by the country’s telecom industry. Peter Akpatason, the committee chairman, made this assurance during a courtesy visit by the leadership and members of the National Executive Council of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) in his office on Friday.

Akpatason acknowledged the significant contribution of ATCON to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), emphasizing its crucial role in the country’s economy. As the umbrella body for all telecom service providers, he noted that ATCON contributes approximately 18 percent to the nation’s GDP.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration between the legislature and the private sector as essential drivers for growth, Akpatason promised to foster deeper working relationships with regulators and stakeholders by organizing a legislative-regulator-stakeholders’ forum.

He stressed the need for synergy between the legislature and the private sector to promote growth, innovation, and prosperity. During the visit, Tony Emoekpere, the leader of the delegation, urged the committee to establish a legislative framework and work plan to facilitate industry growth, ultimately boosting Nigeria’s economy.

It’s worth noting that the telecom sector has been negatively affected by the unremitted N120 billion Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service debt owed by commercial banks to telecom operators. In October, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, even threatened to withdraw USSD services from banks due to the outstanding debt.