From Our Correspondent
The Federal Government has called for a coordinated and multilateral approach by the West Africa region to protect shared telecommunications infrastructure and diversify connectivity to ensure uninterruptible connections.
TheNewsZenith reports that this followed recent undersea cable cuts that challenged connectivities in many of the region’s countries.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, made the call through a presentation sent to the 21st West Africa Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Nnenna Ukoha, NCC Deputy Director of Public Affairs, represented Maida at the AGM held in Sierra Leone on March 19-22.
He said the recent submarine cable cuts that resulted in outages on multiple networks in 12 African countries had raised the urgent need to establish a mechanism to protect itself from damage to submarine infrastructure.
NCC boss cited a report by Cloudflare, an IT service management firm, which indicates that about six countries, including four from West Africa, were still suffering from the outages caused by the submarine cable cuts, as a reason for his call.
“Securing telecom infrastructure is paramount for fostering Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and enhancing investor confidence in the West African sub-region.
“The reliability and resilience of telecommunications networks are crucial factors that investors consider when evaluating regional opportunities.
“By ensuring security of these vital assets, we can attract more investment and spur economic growth. We can also enhance our competitiveness on the global stage.
“A secure telecoms infrastructure facilitates efficient communication and connectivity. It also signals a commitment to safeguarding critical assets essential for business operations.
“This assurance can significantly boost investor confidence and create a conducive environment for sustainable economic development.
“The impact of cable cuts highlights need for coordinated, multilateral approach to protecting shared infrastructure across regional countries,” Maida stated.
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He proposed the urgent need to set up a framework for joint monitoring, risk mitigation and emergency response procedures for the submarine cables that pass through the sub-region.
“Further to this, we recommend that the WATRA Working Group on Infrastructure expand its mandate to spearhead the development of a comprehensive strategy.
“This is to safeguard the subregion’s telecommunications networks and associated infrastructure thereby proactively bolstering resilience through improved disaster response protocols. It will better insulate ourselves from future disruptions.”
NCC boss advised that the Working Group should strengthen sub-regional infrastructure resilience and promote the diversification of the sub-region connectivity.
It should also conduct regular capacity assessments and facilitate designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure in member countries.
TheNewsZenith recalls that the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly was established in 2002. It is a common platform for national telecommunication regulatory authorities in 16 member states.
The Assembly also aims to promote the adoption of regulations that stimulate investment in telecommunication infrastructure. This will deliver more affordable, accessible, faster and secure communication services to citizens.
At the 21st WATRA Annual General Meeting, issues of accessible and affordable telecommunication services in the sub-region were discussed, including improved consumer protection, quality of service, roaming and conflict resolution for consumers.
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