The Interview Editors
The Nigerian Communications Commission has committed itself to funding innovation and research in selected Nigerian universities and research institutes.
This is in line with its commitment to promoting innovation to drive digital transformation
Already, the Commission says it has disbursed millions of naira, in grants, to sponsor innovation-oriented research projects in tertiary institutions and other research institutes across the country.
According to information available to The Interview, the Commission, as far back as May 2019 announced a N40m endowment funds for Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
The funds it said, would be utilised by the institutions to drive for innovation, research and development in the digital space with an ongoing commitment to expand the list of benefiting institutions.
Also, in June 2019, NCC again demonstrated its determination to facilitate research and innovation in the telecoms industry by presenting the sum of N65m to 11 universities in Nigeria to drive innovation, research and development.
Through the funding, the benefitting tertiary institutions were expected to deliver research results and prototypes that are implementable, commercially-viable and capable of engendering innovation in different sectors of the economy.
The NCC, in 2016, created its Research and Development (R&D) Department for the Commission in 2016, for the main purpose of synchronising the various ongoing research activities and other development projects being carried out by the Commission.
This decision, NCC has said is in line with the provisions of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 and the Nigerian National ICT Policy 2012, has helped the Commission to stimulate and sustain innovations in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.
Today, the Commission continues to support young innovators, through providing them with opportunity to showcase their tech innovations at global telecoms conferences such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecoms World.
Also, organising local competitions for technology innovators, on an annual basis, in order for them to competitively develop locally-relevant tech innovations and applications that can help grow the economy is parts of the NCC’s efforts in this regards.
The latest of such effort was the three-day Maiden Edition of the Innovation Competition/Exhibition Event hosted by the Commission at the Digital Bridge Institute Lagos Campus between from December 17, 2019 to December, 19, 2019, with the theme: “Promoting Innovation and Creativity in the Telecoms Sector”.
The forum gathered some 25 shortlisted technological innovators to pitch their innovations before industry stakeholders for cash prizes provided by the Commission towards advancing their business ideas for full commercialisation.
After series and rounds of presentations, discussions as well as questions and answers sessions by the panel of judges and focusing on local content component of the innovators’ business plans, 10 best-in-class innovative ideas were shortlisted out of the 25 tech innovators from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
