Business Metrics has introduced Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), a new dialogue platform for stakeholders to drive various policies in the country towards effective implementation.
The convener of the forum, Omobayo Azeez, in a statement said the programme aimed to address policy implementation failure, which he identified as a major challenge in the administration of affairs across the various sectors that have direct bearing on the socio-economic well being of the country.
The methodology deployed by PIAFo to achieve its goal involves a multi-stakeholder engagement and dialogue whereby a policy is dissected and all parties from private to public sectors, who have a role to play in execution, are identified and then brought together.
He explained that the first series of the forum, tagged PIAFo-001 is focused on National Policy for Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.
The PIAFo-001, a virtual event, is slated for Thursday August 5, 2021 by 10:00 a.m. with the theme: National Policy for Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.
To lay a solid foundation for the dialogue, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, is expected to give a keynote address at the forum, while the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta.
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The Director General of Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi; and the Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Ibrahim, will be giving regulatory insights on the implementation of the policy.
Similarly, the novel event is also expected to see participation of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) and the Institute of Software Practitioners Organisation of Nigeria (iSPON), whose chiefs and members would be addressing the forum.
Azeez, who is the Managing Editor of Business Metrics and Chairman, Organising Committee, PIAFo-001, assured that participations of stakeholders across the concerned sector has been secured to chart a way for the effective implementation of the policy, which seeks to stem $2.6 billion annual capital flights in telecoms industry by promoting alternative solutions that come with ease of doing business.
According to him, the forthcoming forum combines the criticality of the telecoms sector as an enabler of the economy and that of promotion of local contents which is an economic catalyst to bridge policy implementation vacuum in Nigeria.
Azeez said, “The general impression expressed by people on a daily basis that Nigeria is good at policy pronouncement but often fails in implementation is about to become a thing of the past. PIAFo is dedicated to stimulating implementation and tracking progress with measurable metrics.
“The policy execution failure that has been experienced over the years is ascribed to many factors such as poor awareness, shallow stakeholders’ engagements, lack of monitoring and poor periodic assessment to track progress.”
