In a statement issued yesterday by NCC director of public
affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, the
executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, Prof.
Umar Danbatta, stated this during a chat with the commission’s in-house media
team last week, ahead of preparations by the NCC’s delegation for the confab,
holding from 27th February to 4th March, 2022.
“The visualisations and concrete actions of the AfricaNXT
conference are in congruence with NCC’s faith in the promise of technology to
galvanise Nigeria’s, nay Africa’s, development. This explains our continued
support and participation at the Conference which is now in its 10th year, and
we will continue to play active roles in this event which takes place in Lagos
annually,” the NCC boss said.
The EVC regretted his inability to lead NCC’s delegation to
the conference because he is already slated to play a key governmental and
institutional role at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022, organised by GSM
Association. The MWC, the world’s largest and most influential forum and
exhibition by stakeholders in the mobile technology ecosystem, takes place in
Barcelona annually in the same week AfricaNXT happens in Lagos.
Formerly known as Social Media Week Lagos, the AfricaNXT Conference
is the largest assemblage of innovators from across Africa and African Diaspora
communities. As a consistent programming partner of AfricaNXT, the NCC has been
a regular feature of the conference and festival.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic compelled the organisers to
observe a low-key, strictly virtual conference in 2021, the 2020 conference was
attended by over 20,000 people (both in-person and virtually). At the 2020
conference, NCC’s discourse overviewed the Fifth Generation (5G) technology and
services, where the panelists explained 5G, which at that time, seemed like an
abstract idea to many.
At the AfricaNXT 2022, the NCC will take the discourse on 5G
further in a more pragmatic context in view of the progress achieved over the
past two years.
The thematic focus for its panel of discussants is, “Moving
Forward Steadily, Timely and with Precision: The Socio-Economic Significance of
Deployment of 5G Services.”