He noted this while delivering a keynote presentation on ‘Bridging Skills Gap to Accelerate the Indigenous Telecoms Development’ at the just concluded second edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE 2023) organised in Lagos by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

He said for the sector to continue to thrive, telecoms companies require professionals with skills in various areas such as cybersecurity, data analytics, wireless network engineering, software development, fibre optics engineering, IP networking skills, cloud computing, and VSAT engineering among others, but which are not sufficiently available at the moment.

“The current existence of the skills gaps puts a strain on telecom firms, limiting their ability to expand, innovate, improve customer services or develop new products,” Azeez said.

According to the Convener of Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), while the sector is growing in geometric progression, the workforce that shoulders its day-to-day operations and support is rather depleting, a development he described as a ticking time bomb.

He said: “Available data show a high global demand for tech skilled-workers particularly in the telecoms sector. This is why the situation is even scarier for a low-middle income country such as Nigeria because high-income economies that desire similar skilled labour will always have their way enticing away capable hands and talents from here.

“This is happening already,” he said, adding that in 2022 alone, operators in the sector lamented losing over 2,000 trained telecoms personnel in Nigeria to other countries.

According to Azeez, operators are finding the gaps difficult to fill as prospective applicants often lack the required knowledge and skill set to deliver, while trained workers are leaving.

“This has hampered the rate at which operators recruit. For instance, operators across the GSM, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Value-Added Services (VAS), Fixed Services and other subsegments of the sector have only employed additional 679 workers in the last three years, which cannot serve licensees in the sector even at a one-to-one ratio.

“Whereas, the talks around 5G, edge infrastructure, internet of things (IoT) and smart city initiatives all demand more capable hands to innovate and undertake professional tasks to achieve the future aspiration of the sector.

In his address, Azeez, who doubles as Team Lead, Business Metrics Limited, highlighted causes of the current skills gap in the sector.

According to him, they include defective educational systems, inadequate training programmes, poor remunerations, japa syndrome, global high demand for tech-skilled workers, government policies, and rapid technological advancements.

He encouraged industry stakeholders to leverage the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), among other local content policies to develop homegrown talents with skill capacities that are globally competitive.

“While effective collaboration is required between government, operators, and educational, research and training institutions to bridge the gaps, the process should begin with operators by putting in place training and internship programmes within their organisations to meet their immediate needs.

“Operators should also review employees’ remuneration and welfare packages to retain already groomed talents before they are enticed with better offers in foreign markets because labour follows the money. Expatriate quota requirements and succession plan should also be adhered to,” he added.

He further underscored investments in employees’ training and capacity building to maximise available talents, adding that investments in the workforce should be prioritised the same way as Capital Expenditure (CAPEX).

“It would be a gross injustice not to acknowledge young Nigerians for their ingenuity, skills and entrepreneurial spirit, but the current skills gap identified in the ICT and the telecoms sector must not be ignored and should be jointly tackled before it escalates from an operating threat to an existential one.

“Therefore, we should commit to grooming and retaining talents to attract more investments and secure the digital future of the country,” Azeez concluded.

Pantami, who spoke at the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, got immediate commendation from Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, who told the audience that the Minister’s efforts and support have spurred the Commission to take certain steps that have yielded immediate results that were being showcased at the expo.

The Indigenous Content expo was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.

Pantami emphasised that Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products.

He, consequently, warned against importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria.

He also took a swipe at the recent efforts to impose five per cent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria, arguing that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.

“I was not consulted before the decision on five per cent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 per cent to the country’s revenue,” he said.

Pantami told his audience, including Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, that his position was already shared by the National Assembly which was also not consulted on the issue before it was announced.

 “We must do what we need to do to protect the industry.  Beyond making our opinions known, we will take legitimate and legal steps to stop any plan against the interest of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry,” he said.

Speaking further on the efforts of the Commission to pursue indigenous content in the industry, EVC of NCC, Prof. Danbatta, said the objective of the NPPIC is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry.

Danbatta said the Commission has taken various steps to ensure that the process of implementing NPPIC is painstakingly pursued through capacity strengthening, institutional building and strategic policy tools, which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.

Danbatta disclosed this in his keynote address at the third edition of Policy Implementation Assisted Forum with the theme: ‘Establishing Trackable Metrics for Developing Nigeria’s Indigenous Telecoms Sector’ in Lagos on Thursday.

He added that the commission has also brought at least 30 stakeholders to the round table to chart way for the effective implementation of the National Policy for Promotion of Indigenous Content Policy in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC) assented to By President Muhammadu Buhari in May, 2021.

Represented by Babagana Digima, Head, the Nigeria Office for Promoting the Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS), the EVC stressed that different entities include Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), SIM card manufacturers, tower and mast manufacturers, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

He said: “At a higher level, the Commission had identified some time-based metrics for NPPIC which it classed in to immediate, short term, medium term, and long-term items these include activities such as creation of NODITS dedicated to guiding the policy; constitution of local content steering committee; engagement with relevant internal and external stakeholders; and commissioning baseline studies on the level of indigenous content in the Nigerian telecoms industry.”

Others, according to him, include development of regulations, monitoring and enforcement of Key Performance Indices (KPIs) and methodologies; development of implementation guidelines; and continuous efforts in research and development (R&D); and monitoring, evaluation and enforcement.

The NCC boss noted the NPPIC requires more focused and direct actions than undertaken before now.

“To ensure the effective implementation of the NPPIC, we have articulated several targets and high impact interventions, which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based (SMART).

“We will therefore be counting on the efforts of industry stakeholders, watchdogs and partners such as Business Metrics to create independent metrics that will ensure the achievements of the goals of the NPPIC,” Danbatta said.

He further noted that some of the 72 action points and plans are already being implemented by the Commission through NODITS which in some instances have also yielded fruits.

“An example is capturing some of the target areas for gazette by the Federal Government and Companies providing such goods and services shall be accorded pioneer industry status by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

“Another achievement is the consideration given to telecommunications services as an exportable non tangible asset by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), thereby enjoying promotion and funding,” he said.

According to him, the Commission was also fully involved in the successes achieved thus far “as we are also promoting the establishment of a manufacturing facility for Corrugated Optical Duct (COD) in Nigeria which will complement the recent launch of the first optic fibre cable (OFC) manufacturing plant by Coleman Technical Industries in conjunction with Corning, a world-renowned leader in OFC development and manufacturing.”

He said provision of skilled manpower, funding and software development is equally receiving attention, noting however that this will require a different set of metrics such as skill areas, available personnel, skill migration, and new skill development for which the industry will be a key driver and source of statistics.

“Our discussions with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) and some of the MNOs, TowerCos and OEMs is centered around skills development as well as repair and maintenance of telecoms equipment both of which are key element for the indigenous emancipation of the telecoms industry, the EVC said.

In his remarks, Omobayo Azeez, Convener of PIAFo, stressed that the need to domesticate inputs into the telecoms sector to ease pressure on the Nigerian economy.

While acknowledging that the telecommunications sector had unarguably become one indispensable economic enabler for the country and its people, he said sadly, the sector remains grossly dependent on foreign inputs which at the end of every operating year resulted in capital flights above $2.16 billion.

“When operators have to depend solely on foreign talents, solutions, equipment and accessories, they will also have to deal with the hassle of accessing forex as one of the major problems. As such, operators suffer, customers suffer and even our dear Naira is also at a receiving end – it continues to lose value.

“We realise that with the policy in place, the work has just begun because effective implementation of a policy is the true measure of its success. We want this policy to come to fruition and create inclusive benefits for individuals, businesses and the economy,” he said.