By Chioma Nnodim
Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta said that the adoption of Fifth Generation, 5G, in the digital technologies will be able to eradicate inefficiency and provide economic revenues, jobs, and employment opportunities while shoring up the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
Danbatta made this known in his Keynote speech at a Cyberchain event in Abuja while speaking on the topic, “Using Technology to grow Nigeria’s GDP.”
He stated that the projected contributions of 5G to the national development are endless, noting that 5G is a technology that will be beneficial to the Nigerian economy and according to PricewaterCooper, PwC, it is expected that 5G will contribute $13bn and 0.37% to the GDP of Africa.
Danbatta, represented by the Principal Manager Digital Economy, NCC, Mrs Ella Ehi highlighted that Nigeria’s adoption of 5G, E-commerce, Fintech, Big data have boosted the country’s revenue generation capacity.
According to Danbatta, “Fifth Generation Mobile Technology, 5G, Technology, especially telecommunications has evolved from the days of telephony to the days of the Internet of Things, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data.
“For 5G, certain applications will drive its success, these are e-health, advanced manufacturing, real-time cloud gaming, 360-degree video, virtual reality, VR, augmented reality, AR, and applications for smart agriculture customised for the monitoring of crops and livestock.
“5G will also support a large network of Internet of Things, IoT, devices, the creation of smart cities, smart infrastructure, and smart grids capable of self-identifying issues on networks. In the agricultural sector, farmers will benefit from sensors located in fields that can identify with precision which areas need water or require pest management.
“In August 2022, MTN launched its commercial 5G network in Lagos, eighty-one communities in Lagos have access to 5G technologies, which essentially means these communities can perform remote surgeries, utilise smart connectivity such as the Internet of Things, IoT, and deploy machine to machine communications, M2M.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Convener, CyberChain Abuja, Jude Ozinegbe, said Nigeria is currently moving in the right direction towards embracing the gains of tech ecosystem.
“We are moving from Analoge to digital, some people seem to have been left behind, that is why we have decided to gather leaders in the space to educate us. We have leaders in this space that have seen the possibility and opportunity in this ecosystem.
“This is my contribution to expanding digital economy in Nigeria. As much as you can, contribute something positive about the space to amplify the good tidings within the ecosystem.”
He said with proper knowledge of Blockchain, Nigeria youths can earn by using their phones and data.
On his part, a Crystocurrency Investigator, A and D Forensic, Adedeji Owonibi urged Nigeria youths to embrace the gains of Blockchain technology.
Speaking on the topic, “Blockchain Forensics and criminal elements, Owonibi said a better dimension has been added to Blockchain and Digital technologies in Nigeria with the participation of the government.
“If you are criminal within the Blockchain space, you could do anything in Nigeria, however with our coming and government involvement, we all have a part to play in bringing sanity in the sector.
He said, decentralisation is a blessing for the ‘good guys’ in the Blockchain sector, while a bad thing for those using it criminally.
He called for responsibility on the part of Nigerians in a bid to harness Blockchain opportunities.
“If you have any business in blockchain make sure you are compliance with rules and be crypto security conscious”, he said.
Blockchain technology is a decentralized, distributed ledger that stores the record of ownership of digital assets,” he said.
