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Congolese Regulator Understudies Nigeria’s Telecoms Market  

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Nasiru Yusuf

Faith in the operational excellence and regulatory efficiency that have become the marks of Africa’s foremost regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), was demonstrated recently when a delegation from the Congo-Brazzaville Telecommunications Regulations Authority (CTRA) visited the NCC on a benchmarking tour.

KANO FOCUS reports that the delegation from the central African nation purposively paid a scheduled visit to NCC, essentially to understudy the latter’s policies, practices and programmes that have made it a model telecommunications regulatory authority on the Continent and beyond.

The Congolese team led by CTRA’s Network Director, Benjamin Mouandza, spent three days at the NCC Head Office in Abuja, where it was exposed to key result-oriented regulatory activities, frameworks, programmes and policies of NCC, with the objective to explore how such operational frameworks could be adapted by the African nation noted for its huge rainforest reserves.

In the letter written to the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Umar Danbatta, the Congolese regulator had indicated interest to gain more insights into three areas of NCC’s regulatory activities, namely, management of issues associated with Quality of Service (QoS), SIM Boxing and Call Masking, as well as telecom equipment type-approval process.

In response to the request, Danbatta had graciously accepted to host the team and further directed relevant departments of NCC, including Special Duties (SD); Technical Standards and Network Integrity (TSNI); and the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) directorates to interact with the team to provide necessary information sharing that may be useful to the Congolese counterpart.

Addressing the CTRA team, the NCC’s Director, TSNI, Bako Wakil, spoke extensively on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) institued by NCC on QoS and how these KPIs are measured and monitored by the Commission toward ensuring improved service delivery to the Nigeria’s ever-growing telecoms consumers. He said this also helped to improve Quality of Experience (QoE) of the consumers.

On type-approval process, Wakil stated that the Commission had developed a rigorous type-approval process to ensure that telecoms equipment, including terminal devices, manufactured in line with international standards and specifications are brought into the country.

“The NCC is serious about type-approval process like other processes, because non-type approved devices and equipment which are also not manufactured to international standards and specifications have negative implications for quality of service delivery on the networks,” he said.

Wakil also spoke extensively, to the admiration of the Congolese team, on call masking and highlighted measures the NCC had put in place to address the menace.

He described call masking as “the practice of sending international calls to an operator but disguising the calls as if they were local by sending the calls on the local interconnect route with a local number in the national numbering plan instead of the original international calling number.”

In a related presentation to the visiting team on SIM boxing fraud and efforts being taken by the NCC to combat the menace, NCC’s Director, CME, Ephraim Nwokonneya, spoke on the problems created by fraudulent practice of SIM Boxing, including threat to national security, loss of revenue to service providers and the government.

Additionally, he asserted the anti-competitive practices associated with such acts among licensees as well as the general economic implications so evident in revenue loss.

However, Nwokonneya itemised solutions to SIM Boxing fraud from a regulatory perspective. He declared that regulators can deploy anti-SIM boxing and call masking solutions, be proactive and effective in monitoring and enforcement, collaboration with the industry and law enforcement agencies, capacity building through training and skill acquisition programmes, as well as the review of the Enforcement Regulations and enabling laws.

More importantly, Nwokonneya told the Congolese telecoms regulator team that collaboration between the regulator and the industry is required to effectively combat the menace of SIMBox Fraud, Call Masking and Call Refiling in conjunction with deployment of technological solution and well trained staff.

From the presentations, it was made clear that the scale of call masking and SIMBoxing has been on the downward decline in Nigeria while the number of complaints from subscribers on incorrectly displayed calling numbers has also reduced substantially.

To prove that NCC processes emplaced to combat the menace are succeeding, Nwokonneya stated that there has been a significant and noticeable improvement in the display of correct international calling numbers into Nigeria networks.

The NCC Directors also reiterated that the Commission is also taking strategic actions on SIM Registration, the National Identification Number (NIN) and the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage policy.

The NCC team informed the visitors that a maximum of four SIM numbers are permissible to be registered per subscriber per network requirement. This is another measure deployed by the NCC to tackle SIMBoxing which usually requires multiple SIMs to flourish.

The NCC team emphasised that the combination of regulatory action and deployment of technology solutions have helped to put the menace of call masking and SIMBoxing in the Nigeria’s telecoms sector under check.

Commenting on the benefits of the visit, CTRA’s Mouandza, said the choice made by the Congolese regulator to visit NCC on a benchmarking tour has been worthwhile. “We have come to understand how the regulator in Nigeria has been handling some salient regulatory issues and matters in the country as it relates to telecoms.

“In the course of this visit, I can say that our objective has been achieved. The experience has been very rich, we have learnt many things. We thank the EVC and his team for accepting to host us. We are more positioned now to replicate some of the things we have learnt in our telecoms market back home,” he said.

The Congolese officials had practical demonstrations of the issues earlier discussed, especially the nature of technologies that have been deployed by the NCC to independently and remotely monitor, measure and validate QoS on the networks of mobile operators in the country.

It will be recalled that the visit by the Congolese team came barely a month after the NCC hosted officials from Sierra Leone’s National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), who equally visited NCC to benchmark the Nigeria’s telecom regulator’s policies, programmes and regulatory activities.

Over the years, the NCC has constantly received delegations from telecoms regulators in Africa and this trend has remained a major boost for Nigeria’s global ranking as a model in telecommunications regulation.

Suffice it to say, that, these benchmarking visits have eloquently reinforced NCC’s leadership status in operational efficiency, collaborative partnership, and commitment to intra-African solidarity in the telecommunications sphere.

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Abba Kabir Yusuf appoints heads of ARTV, SUBEB, 8 others

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Mustapha Adamu Indabawa

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved the appointment of Mustapha Adamu Indabawa as the new Managing Director of Kano state-owned Abubakar Rimi Television Corporation (ARTV) and Yusuf Kabir Gaya, Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

KANO FOCUS reports that the appointment was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s chief press secretary Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Wednesday.

Yusuf Kabir Gaya

According to the statement,the Governor had also approved the appointment of Hon. Salisu A. Kabo, Director General, Youth Empowerment, Dr. Hamisu Sadi Ali, Director General, Debt Management Office, and Abduljabbar Mohammed Umar, Director General, KAN-INVEST.

Others appointed by the Governor are:Yusuf Kabir Gaya, Hamisu Dogon Nama, Managing Director, Kantin Kwari Market,Abdulkadir B. Hussain, Managing Director, Sabon Gari Market and Dr. Kabiru Sani Magashi, Acting Managing Director, KASCO.

The rest are: Aminu Aminu Mai-Famfo, Deputy Managing Director, KASCO and Engr. Abubakar Sadiq J. Deputy Managing Director, Kano Line.

The statement said the appointments which were with immediate effect, were made “pursuant to the quest of placing appropriate hands to improve good governance.”

It added that the Governor charged the appointees to use their wealth of experience in the discharge of their engagements so as to diligently serve the people of the state and justify the confidence reposed in them.

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Takutaha: Kano Govt declares Wednesday public holiday

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People at Dala Hill celebrating Takutaha. © Raibiu Biyora.

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

 

Kano State Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has declared wednesday, October 4, as Public Holiday in commoration of the birth of the noble prophet of Allah, Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

KANO FOCUS reports that the declaration was contained in a statement issued by the commissioner of information and internal affairs Alhaji Baba Halilu Dantiye in the early hours of Wednesday.

Takutaha celebration

The Governor urged the people of the state to use occassion to reflect on the teachings of our noble Prophet and imbibe them in their daily affairs.

He also urged the people to pray pervently for peace and prosperity to reign in Kano and Nigeria at large.

 

He prayed to Allah to see us through this tough period and bless us with bumper havest in this rainy season and the coming dry farming season.

 

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Kano Govt seals Reach clinic for breach of rules

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

 

 

The Kano State Private Health Institutions Management Agency (PHIMA) has sealed off a health facility, Reach Clinic for noncompliance with the law establishing the agency and standard operation guidelines.

KANO FOCUS reports that the Director General of the Agency, Prof. Salisu Ahmad announced the sealing off of the facility after leading the enforcement on the clinic situated in Gyadi-Gyadi quarters in Kano metropolis.

In a statement by the Information Officer, Ministry of Health, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Director General said the facility was sealed off because it was opened before completing the documentation and guidelines laid down by the PHIMA, necessary for opening any private health institution.

The statement reads, “The DG stated that the information the clinic presented to the Agency was totally contrary with the record they have in possession regarding the hospital when they were invited for discussion.

“He noted with dismay the fact that the staff names the Reach clinic submitted to the PHIMA as their registered staff were not even in the state so much that some are no longer working with the clinic.

“Unfortunately, the doctors we got working at the time of our arrival at the hospital were not the ones whose names were given to us. In view of this, we deem it pertinent to close the clinic until they abide by all the rules and standard operation guidelines because they are not even permitted to start operations.

“He recalled that the law of the PHIMA that empowers it to oversee activities of the private health institutions has stipulated it that, for any centre to be opened, it must come to the Agency to complete the required documentation regarding its staff and the activities it is going to undertake.

“The DG added that with all these, such a centre wouldn’t be allowed to start operation until when the Agency goes and examine as well as assess the information submitted to them and become satisfied with.

“Reach clinic just go ahead and open the hospital without our permission despite the lapses they have. That is why we sealed off the clinic. It will remain closed until we are given the genuine information that we require and become convince with.

“The DG pointed out that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is much concern with the health of the people of the state, maintaining that the Governor is so committed and determined to see that the healthcare system is robust and standardized.

“He noted that since coming on board, His Excellency is being up and doing towards fulfilling the promises he made on health sector and the commitment is yielding positive results as people can attest to.

“If our amiable Governor can deny himself sleep in the night and goes out supervising health facilities what of us he entrusted to steer the wheel of healthcare system of the state? We must also not relent. We must work hard to complement to this noble effort of our leader.

“On this note, I want to call on private health institutions in the state to ensure they are operating in accordance with the standard guidelines and laws establishing the PHIMA. We will surely not hesitate to close any clinic that fails to follow due process.”

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