It is with delight that I welcome you all here today to the inauguration of the inauguration of the Presidential Task Force on the Restructuring of Government Institutions/Organizations in the Telecommunication and ICT Sector in Nigeria.

The Fourth World Telecommunication Development Conference held recently in Doha, Qatar recognized the efforts made by countries and development partners including public, private and inter governmental organizations towards the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and urged member countries to step up the pace of such development to facilitate the creation of a truly global information society for the benefit of all. The goals set by the DOHA Action Plan included the creation of more conducive environment by formulating policies and strategies for the development of ICT.

Responding to the challenge, Government has identified the need to establish a framework for effective coordination of the activities of various Ministries and organs in the ICT sector. The objective in this regard is to achieve convergence within the sector, eliminate duplication of functions and achieve a more effective utilization of personnel and facilities.


Your Committee which we are soon to inaugurate is expected to make recommendations that will result in an institutional and structural framework that will give rise to a more effective, efficient and harmonized performance of Ministries and organizations that are involved in policy making, regulation and implementation of government policies in the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector in Nigeria . You are also expected to recommend strategies for the extension of ICT, and bringing to an end the issue of digital divide.

Your recommendations towards addressing convergence in the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector should also identify the condition for integrating ICT into governance with a view to achieving governance for the country. You are expected to identify modalities for ensuring that ICT development is accorded the appropriate priority status relative to other infrastructure since ICT is regarded as a key infrastructure which is sustainable.

In this connection, the specific terms of reference of your Committee are as follows:-

(i) To study the statutory functions of existing Ministries and structures set up by government that are involved with policy making, regulation and implementation of government policies that concern the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector.

(ii) To study the enabling laws that guide the operation of these Ministries and the organizational structures set up by government that are involved with policy making, regulation and implementation of government policies that concern the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector;

(iii) To identify areas of modern innovations in the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector that enjoy common mode of operation with a view to ascertaining and stating the implication and viability of establishing a common regulatory regime for such mode of operation;

(iv) To identify stages of telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT convergence as it affects prevailing government policies and regulatory agencies in terms of services provided, market implications, industrial alliance and platforms to be adopted relative to convergence of technology;

(v) To propose strategy for ensuring that the necessary skill/manpower requirements for the emerging technology vis-à-vis convergence in telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector will be met.

(vi) To understudy the implication of having different supervisory agencies or commission for content and infrastructure in the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector.

(vii) To propose regulatory and policy models to address the issue of digital divide amongst Nigerian in terms of access, availability and usage of telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT facilities;

(viii) To identify the role of the legislators in the emerging convergence environment in the telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT sector; and

(ix) To propose regulatory and policy models that will address the issue of aggressive programmes for access to telecommunication, broadcasting and ICT facilities.

Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, yours is not doubt, an onerous task. I wish to assure you, however, that this government is confident that with the caliber of people in this Task Force, the challenges will be surmounted and the desires met.

I therefore, have the pleasure to formally inaugurate this Presidential task Force.
I wish you fruitful deliberations.

Thanks you and God bless.

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