The telecommunications sector in Nigeria contributed N6.97 trillion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013.
The disclosure was made by the Executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, at the 2014 annual workshop for judges on legal issues in telecommunications, which commenced in Calabar yesterday.
The three-day workshop was organised by the NCC and the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in line with its mandate of facilitating continuing judicial education for the entire Nigerian Judiciary.
Represented by the Executive Communication Stakeholder Management, Dr. Okechukwu Itanyi, Juwah said: “My Lords, distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, there is no gainsaying the fact that the telecommunications sector is one of the key contributors to the national GDP.
“This is evidenced in the recently rebased GDP figure for 2013 where in the telecommunications and information technology services sector contributed 8.68 per cent to the Nigerian economy, equivalent of N6.97 trillion, making it the star performer in Nigeria’s rebased GDP figure.”
He added: “This development further lays credence to the need to ensure that the sector is effectively regulated. The NCC understands the fact that no regulatory reform(s) would stand the test of time without a firm foundation of due process and the rule of law.
“That is the philosophy behind the bold step in continuously exposing our judges to legal issues in telecommunications”.
