- Funds Local Smart-card Plant
- SecureID to Manufacture for 19 Countries
Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu has disclosed that the federal government will soon come up with a policy statement that will place an outright ban on importation of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards into the country.Major telecommunication operators in the country including MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat connect with their over120 million Nigerian subscribers through the portable memory chip used mostly in phones that operate on the Global System for Mobile (GSM)…
Recall that on December 3, 2013, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, issued a Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in the Information Communication Technology sector
These guidelines include requirements that multinational companies operating in Nigeria source all hardware products locally; all government agencies source and procure all computer hardware only from NITDA-approved original equipment manufacturers; and ICT companies host all data locally, use only locally manufactured SIM cards for telephone services and data, and use indigenous companies to build cell towers and base stations.
Suffix to mention also that Nigeria has a local content law in the Telecommunication industry which the industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Office for Nigeria Content Development in ICT (ONC) have been clamoring for its full implementation and enabling environment for the actualization of local content development in the telecommunications sub-sector.
But, barrister Adebayo hinted during the recent tour of a world-class smart-card manufacturing plant opened by SecureID in Nigeria that it is high time a policy statement that will propel operators in the nation’s telecommunication industry to discontinue production of their network SIM cards in oversea be enacted.
He explained “that lack of a local content policy within the sector has translated into huge economic loss of revenue for the country and the federal government will initial the move to ban the production of telecommunications operators SIM cards in oversea as there is a ready capacity for local production of the chips in Nigeria.”
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Dr Okechukwu Enelamah has described the 200million capacity sim card production plant of Secure ID Limited in Lagos as a demonstration of Federal Government’s economic diversification and backward integration initiative.
The SIM card plant was set up with financial support from the Bank of Industry (BoI) to drive local export in the telecoms sector.
Enelamah who described the facility as of world class standard reiterated government’s commitment to deepen partnership with the private sector to realise its goals in all aspects of diversification, job creation and industrialisation. He expressed confidence in the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians, noting that with conducive business atmosphere and necessary financial support Nigerian entrepreneurs can reveal their prowess.
“One of the things we need to get right is the whole area enabling environment. Creating the right investment climate, ease of doing business for private sector for Nigerian businesses to prosper.
“We are very committed in the area of financing. I want to acknowledge the BoI for their support for Secure ID and many other players and they have our full support to actually assist the industrialisation of Nigeria. We will be backing the likes of BoI and even the development bank that is coming up, “he said.
Unveiling the SecureID SIMCard brand, Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, said efforts within the telecoms sphere would be garnered to ensure the home-grown company thrives.
Acting Managing Director, BoI, Waheed Olagunju, who applauded the investment decision, said the venture was supported based on its potential to positively impact domestic consumption, aid technology transfer and adduce employment opportunities in the sector.
“When we support projects, we do not only look at the financial viability of such projects. We look at the potential development impact and multiplier effect. The facility we have commissioned today is the first of its kind in Africa for the production of SIM cards that are hitherto imported. There is also in country technology and know-how that would be transferred in the process.”
Also speaking, the Chief Executive, Secure ID, Kofo Akinkugbe, said the feat was achieved despite the difficulties stifling the establishment of manufacturing lines in the country.
She commended the development efforts and advisory backing of the Bank of Industry which was key to achieving the feat.
She hinted that Secure ID currently holds a global endorsement to service the huge network of SIMcard users across 19 African countries.
