Gambia to Model Information Technology on Nigerian Design

APA-Lagos (Nigeria) The Gambian government will like to build its communications sector using the Nigerian model, Gambian Minister for Communications, Fatim Badjie Janneh, has said in the capital Abuja.

Janneh, who visited the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday, said she would like to copy NigeriaĆ's success in telecommunications regulation and that her country would specifically associate itself with projects such as the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) and the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI).

"My mission will be to learn and fashion a model along the line that has put Nigeria in a very strong position in the sector," she said.

The Gambia, she said added, has one regulatory authority overseeing telecoms, power, water and other services.

Chief Executive of the NCC, Ernest Ndukwe, explained the processes that led to the formulation of NigeriaĆ's telecoms policy and the checks and balances in the system, which are designed to protect both the investors and customers.

Ndukwe also informed his visitor about the process that led to the enactment of the Nigerian Telecoms Act 2003 and the establishment of the Universal Service Provision Fund to ensure the penetration of telecoms services to the underserved and unserved locations of the country.

Posted to the site on 31st July 2008