By Stakeholders in the Nigerian telecommunications industry needs an investment-friendly environment to sustain the role of the telecoms industry in driving digital inclusion and economic growth in Nigeria.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Carl Cruz, the need for an atmosphere that would encourage investors to help telecom operators thrive is also essential.
Cruz who spoke at Telecoms Industry Townhall organised Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), with the theme: ‘Two Decades After: What Next for the Telecoms Industry’, noted that telecoms is an enabler for digital inclusion and economic growth.
He called for an atmosphere that would encourage investors to help telecom operators thrive saying that “One of the major challenges faced by the telecoms industry is the issue of security. The cases of sabotage and fiber theft on a monthly basis are over a thousand.”
While comparing capital invested in Nigeria to that of other countries, he said “we understand that investing in infrastructure can be challenging, so we adopt a forward-looking approach as we believe that a country’s growth is significantly boosted by substantial investments.”
The Airtel chief said: “Industry collaboration with regulators is also very essential for the country to progress. It is therefore imperative for players in the telecoms industry to engage in constant communication with our regulators, especially to address the limiting factors affecting the telecoms business.”
He added: “I can say that Airtel and other operators in the telecoms industry are currently doing this and are optimistic about favourable deliberations and outcomes that will boost the success of the telecoms industry.”
