Boosting telecoms sector regulatory stakeholder engagement and collaborative approach to robust frameworks to advance the Nigeria Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have entered into a partnership to formulate guidelines for submarine cable and pipeline operations in the economy.
The collaboration between the two regulators came into effect on the heels of NIMASA’s move to develop a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for Submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in the West African country.
NewsdeskAfrica gathered that officials of the NCC and NIMASA arrived at the agreement in a recent pre-audit meeting on submarine cable regulation which took place in Lagos.
Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the Director-General of NIMASA, who chaired the meeting, with Mr. Dasuki Arabi, observed by the Director-General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), stated that the Agency is committed to the ease-of-doing-business in Nigeria, while implementing international conventions which the country has ratified and domesticated.
According to Jamoh, with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping in the country’s territorial waters.
The NIMASA boss added: “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters.
“Our focus is to ensure safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid.”
He explained that “NIMASA is putting in place the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which had been ratified, stressing that NIMASA is the Agency of responsible for its implementation.
“We do not just implement laws; we consult,” he said.
The Director-General further said: “Where the responsibility of an Agency stops, that is where the responsibilities of another Agency starts.
“Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this.”
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment and representatives of submarine cable operators in Nigeria also attended the meeting.
