MTN, the largest telecommunications company in Nigeria with a subscriber base of over 40 million on its network, has thrown its weight behind the third edition of the West Africa Information and Communications Technology (WAFICT) Congress 2011 holding from October 18-20, 2011 at the new Expo Hall, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The company said supporting the WAFICT Congress is a testimonial to its commitment to helping to ensure the Nigerian, and indeed, African telecommunications industry continues to experience growth. MTN Nigeria is the largest subsidiary in the MTN Group. The Group has operations in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East with a combined subscriber base of over 150 million. Top management experts of MTN Nigeria, the leading telecommunications service provider, will join indigenous and foreign information and communications technology experts and speakers to West Africa’s leading sub-regional conference on the information and communications technology sector organised by Africa’s foremost ICT magazine, IT & Telecom Digest, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO). MTN Nigeria joins Airtel, Visafone and Phase 3 Telecom, as confirmed sponsors of this year’s edition of the West Africa’s largest gathering of ICT regulators, operators, industry players, telecom lawyers, ICT Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Government agencies and ICT consumers while many others have been indicating interest to participate in one way or the other. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) will lead ICT ministers from West Africa to the sub-region’s top-of-the-table showpiece. This year’s WAFICT Congress and Exhibition is set to open new horizons, introduce new technologies and provide greater insights for governments and regulators in the sub-region to benefit from new trends and potentials in the technological arena, the organizers have announced. With the theme “An Emerging New Frontier: Opportunities and Potentials for Deployment of Broadband Services”, WAFICT Congress 2011 is designed to expose the sub-region to the many challenges that must be surmounted if the sub-region is to enjoy the full benefits of a robust policy direction, firm and transparent regulatory environment and technology acceptability in line with changing global trends, with broadband being at the core of discussions. WAFICT is already attracting national and international endorsements, interests and a star-studded speaker line up. Speakers and participants from within West Africa and beyond will grace the event, while leading ICT ministers across the sub-region are also on the line-up of lead speakers. Participants for the conference will be drawn from operating ICT and telecom companies, GSM and CDMA operators, the banking sector, the legal profession, the oil and gas sector, government agencies, regulatory bodies, consumer advocacy groups, the academia, value added service providers and Internet Service Providers, among others. In a statement, IT & Telecom Digest, organisers of WAFICT stated: “Following an exceptionally explosive debut in 2009, the West African ICT Congress is poised for a phenomenal outing this October 18-20 at a more conducive venue, the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.” Editor-in-chief of IT & Telecom Digest, Mr. Mkpe Abang noted that MTN Nigeria’s participation gives WAFICT the top billing it deserves knowing that MTN is Africa’s largest mobile service provider. “MTN Nigeria’s contributions to Nigeria’s socio-economic development especially its role in pioneering private investment in Nigeria’s telecom industry, which has spread to the sub-region, investments in education, health, arts and sports show that the company means well for the people and the sub-region .” Already, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson will be present to declare the Congress open. Confirming her attendance to the organisers of the event in Abuja, the Minister commended the Magazine for its high quality of ICT reporting, while also appreciating them for sustaining the annual Congress, which has been charting the course of progress for the ICT industry, not only in Nigeria but also West Africa. WAFICT will have in attendance the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency, Mahesh Sachdev, who will deliver a keynote paper at the conference. Describing the WAFICT Congress and exhibition as contributing immensely to the development of the sub-region, the High Commissioner noted that India, as a partner to Nigeria, stands ready to support the aspirations of Nigeria especially as encapsulated in the Vision 20-2020 programme, saying telecommunications will continue to be a major driver in achieving the vision. Mr. Sachdev, who inaugurated the Indian Pavilion, which made its debut at WAFICT Congress 2010, said he would encourage as many Indian companies as possible to see the opportunities in Nigeria and find ways of contributing to the growth of the Nigerian economy. Incidentally, India’s Airtel, which is the world’s fifth leading telecommunications company, is platinum sponsor for WAFICT Congress 2011. Also, Engineer Titi Omo-Ettu, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) will lead his association members to WAFICT. Omo-Ettu, an engineer, said the WAFICT congress, which was first held in 2009, has become a veritable platform for the cross-fertilisation of ideas that continue to contribute to the development of many fruitful policies the country is witnessing today.

Recall that the Minister of Information, Honourable Labaran Maku, while doubling then as Minister of Information and Communications, had earlier issued a formal letter on behalf of the federal government endorsing the WAFICT Congress as the platform to celebration the Nigerian telecom revolution, and urged mobile companies, ISPs, government agencies and establishments, telecom operators as well as all other stakeholders, to support the events and join the ministry in giving a voice to Nigeria’s achievements in telecom.

Speaking on the expectations at the event, the organizers said this event will kick-start West Africa’s broadband revolution. “We believe that during this event, the governments across West Africa, will have the opportunity to tell their citizens what package they have for broadband. We think that the event would actually be the melting pot for opening a chapter in the next revolution.”

  We are going to have Ministers from Ghana, from Benin, from Ivory Coast, from the entire West Africa sub region coming to this event. With the successes achieved so far in the voice telephony services, a lot of focus is now required in broadband technology to increase penetration and that is why broadband is taking bigger position in this year’s event.