West Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecommunications services provider – Phase3 Telecom says it will continue to support efforts targeted at culling diasporic investments for sustainable economic growth and diversification. This the company made known at the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit 2018 with the theme “Activating Diaspora Investments For A Diversified Economy”.
According to a statement by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stanley Jegede, it is a great honour for Phase3 Telecom to join hands with government bodies and institutions that are focused on engendering the active participation of the nation’s diasporas in socio-economic development particularly through the ICT sector.
“Such platforms are positive markers and promotional vehicles that would not only stimulate the right discussions but can peak diasporic community active involvement in maximizing the huge opportunities available in the Nigerian ICT sector,” Jegede said.
He added that such foras does help shed imperative light on the potentials of integrating the inventive tools to amplify access as well as to improve the value and competitiveness of products and services across the nation’s formal and informal sectors which is made available by ICT in other countries no matter the structure of their ease of doing business models.
“Phase3’s contribution to this year’s programme stems from this understanding and the fact that there are very few players exploring the vast opportunities in the Nigerian ICT sector and diasporas can play an important and multilayered role in its consistent growth to be at par with foremost global economies. As to attain 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2020; capitalise on local innovation for ICT sector improvement; provide winning solutions to cub Infrastructure deficiencies; leverage on ICT for content delivery in health, education, agriculture, oil & gas, banking and other sectors – more CAPEX is required and the Nigerian government cannot do it alone,” Jegede added.
He said ICT would act as both enabler and catalyst to drive socio-economic transformation and modernization across all sectors of the economy especially in unserved and undeserved communities. And diasporas can serve as the conduit for harnessing international sources of finance, technology and technical skills that would enhance, promote and stimulate job creation in those communities and the sector at large.
“That we as nation cannot clamour enough for the involvement of our diasporic community in harnessing the potential of cost effective technology to distribute power, energy, broadband to home and industries as well as to bridge the clear gaps in education, agriculture, banking, health and the potential of youth in Nigeria,” Jegede said.
