Emma Okonji
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its support for Nigeria’s digital economy agenda through initiatives that will expand digital opportunities, as it formalised a 15-year operational lease of the NCC Digital Industrial Park and NCC Learning Centre in Enugu to the Enugu State Government.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, announced the partnership at the handover ceremony in Enugu, describing the facilities as platforms designed to develop the people, ideas and enterprises that will power Nigeria’s digital future.
Maida said NCC was pleased to hand over the facilities to a state government that had demonstrated the vision and commitment required to activate them for productive use.
“These facilities were conceived as platforms for innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development. They were designed to deepen digital skills, support startups, attract investment, create jobs and position Nigeria as a competitive destination for business process outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing and other technology-enabled services,” Maida said.
According to him, the intervention is not merely about physical infrastructure, but about building capacity, expanding opportunity and supporting enterprise in the digital economy.
“Buildings alone do not create innovation. People do. Ideas do. Entrepreneurs do. And partnerships bring all these elements together,” Maida further said, adding that the success of the facilities will be judged by their practical impact on skills development, idea generation, business creation and job opportunities, rather than by the quality of the buildings or equipment alone.
The NCC boss said the decision to transfer the facilities for activation by the Enugu State Government was informed by the state administration’s deliberate investments in education, infrastructure, innovation and digital capacity, stressing that the commission expects the partnership to support Enugu’s ambition to become a leading destination for digital services, artificial intelligence, startup incubation, outsourcing, research and technology-enabled enterprise.
“Our expectation is that the partnership will support Enugu’s ambition to become a leading destination for digital services, artificial intelligence, startup incubation, outsourcing, research and technology-enabled enterprise,” he said.