Abolaji Adebayo 
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that all SIM cards used in Nigeria are locally produced in the country. The Head of New Media and Information Security at the NCC, Babagana Digima, disclosed this during a training session for media executives in Lagos.
According to reports, the two-day training event, “Upskilling Media Stakeholders on Trends in Telecommunications,” was aimed at enhancing the understanding of media professionals about current trends and advancements in the telecom sector. Digima attributed this to the NCC’s major efforts to promote local content and indigenous participation in the telecommunications industry, spearheaded by the Nigeria Office for Development in the Indigenous Telecommunications Sector (NORDIT).
He noted that until recently, nearly all SIM cards in Nigeria were imported. “Before NORDIT’s intervention, 99 per cent to 100 per cent of SIM cards in Nigeria were imported. We set a goal to reverse this trend within five to six months. Now, 100 per cent of all SIM cards used in Nigeria are manufactured locally, with no importation,” Digima stated.
Digima, who previously headed NORDIT, emphasised the commission’s advocacy efforts to boost Indigenous participation across all sectors of telecoms. He noted that NORDIT had provided grants and incentives to various companies to support industry development. “For instance, we are currently sponsoring the manufacture of Corrugated Ordinal Duct, which will be the first of its kind in Africa.
We also encourage the local production of telecom towers and fibre cables. Coleman Cables, a local manufacturer, has surpassed the only other producer in Egypt in terms of capacity and is continuing to expand. “One of NORDIT’s key areas of impact has been in fostering Indigenous participation,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, had emphasised the importance of bridging the communication gap between the commission and the public. Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner for Technical Services at the NCC, Engr. Abraham Oshadami, highlighted the pivotal role of the media, noting that the initiative includes ex ecutives from print, broadcast, and online media platforms.
Maida further elaborated on the objectives of the training, stating that it aims to develop a reliable database of core media partners and foster strategic relationships with media stakeholders. “This will help shape the industry landscape and ensure that consumers are wellinformed about developments within the sector,” he added.
