By Alpha Abu
Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, Salima Bah has urged the Management of the National Telecommunications Authority (NatCA) to enhance working relationships with other partners, to drive the telecom sector forward.
The minister made the call whilst addressing attendees at an event to formally unveil the new Name and Logo of the telecom regulatory entity. Then known as the National Telecommunications Commission or NatCom, the establishment was transformed into an Authority to broaden and enhance its scope of operations.
She said the change of name should signify growth and assured of her ministry’s commitment to provide the enabling environment for NatCa to roll out policies that will attract partnerships and improve service delivery. She praised the Mobile Telecom Operators for introducing 5G to Sierra Leone and improving communication for consumers.
She however stressed the need for telecom providers to make sure consumers get value for money and that the mobile telecom operators work collectively to impact rural connectivity by enhancing rural penetration in 2024. The Chairman Board of Directors of NatCA Joe Blell in his statement mentioned the diverse operations of NatCA and the authority’s adaptation to what he said is rapidly evolving technology.
Blell spoke about President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Agenda and noted that telecom is the heartbeat or thread that’s interwoven between the president’s initiatives. He referred to the West African country of Nigeria where he said telecom accounts for 16 percent of the country’s GDP and believed that a well-equipped NatCA “can do same or better’’.
NatCA Director-General Amara Brewah and his Deputy Mariama S. Koroma spoke of the transformation that has taken place within the authority. They highlighted the monitoring, compliance, and enforcement procedures of the Authority, and efforts being made to replace obsolete equipment with modern technology.
The event was also graced by senior officials of Mobile telecommunication companies and civil society activists.
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