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Chuks Udo Okoda
Following the recent undersea cable cuts that have challenged connectivity in many countries in the West African region, Nigeria has called for a coordinated and multilateral approach from the region to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure and diversify connectivity to ensure uninterrupted connections.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, made the reference in a statement delivered at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the 21st West African Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from March 19 to 22, 2024.
Dr. Maida, whose message was delivered at the WATRA AGM by the Commission’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, said the recent cutting of submarine cables that led to outages in multiple networks nationwide in 12 African countries has increased the urgency for the sub-region to establish a mechanism to protect it from damage to subsea infrastructure and the consequent impacts on the sub-region.
Maida cited a report by Cloudflare, an IT services management company, which said about six countries, including four in West Africa, were still suffering from outages caused by submarine cable cuts, to support the call
“Securing telecommunications infrastructure is paramount to enhancing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and boosting investor confidence in the West African sub-region. The reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks are critical factors that investors consider when evaluating regional opportunities.
“By ensuring the security of these vital assets, we can attract more investment, stimulate economic growth and strengthen our competitiveness on the global stage. A secure telecommunications infrastructure not only facilitates effective communication and connectivity, but also signals a commitment to safeguard critical assets essential to business operations. This assurance can significantly boost investor confidence and create an enabling environment for sustainable economic growth,” he said.
According to him, “the impact of events such as cable cuts underlines the need for a coordinated, multilateral approach to protect common infrastructure in our member states.”
Maida therefore suggested “the urgent need to establish a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation and emergency response procedures for submarine cables passing through the sub-region.
“Furthermore, we recommend that the WATRA Infrastructure Task Force expand its mandate to lead the development of a comprehensive strategy to protect the sub-region’s telecommunications networks and related infrastructure, thereby proactively building resilience through improved disaster response protocols to protect ourselves better than future holidays. .”
He advised that the objectives of the Task Force will be to strengthen the resilience of sub-regional infrastructure, promote the diversification of sub-regional connectivity, conduct regular capacity assessments, as well as facilitate the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as national critical infrastructure in Member States.
The Assembly of West African Telecommunications Regulators was established in 2002 as a common platform for national telecommunications regulatory authorities in 16 member states to promote the adoption of regulations that encourage investment in telecommunications infrastructure to provide more affordable, accessible, faster and secure services communication to citizens.
WATRA’s 21st Annual General Meeting discussed issues related to accessible and affordable telecommunications services in the sub-region, such as improving consumer protection, quality of service, roaming and consumer dispute resolution.
An important point of the General Assembly was the re-election of the Nigerian Engr. Yusuf Aliyu Aboki, as Executive Secretary, for a second term by unanimous vote of the Member States.
The NCC EVC commended Eng. Aboki for his steadfast, inclusive and visionary leadership which saw the successful delivery of WATRA’s Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025, noting that Nigeria and indeed the sub-region was proud of the milestones he achieved during his first tenure.
He further advised the WATRA Executive Secretary to build on the achievements of his first term, through stronger partnerships and deeper collaboration, while promoting the interests of the sub-regional body.