The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has signed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with its consultant, 3R Company Nigeria Limited, for the execution of the Revenue Assurance Solutions (RAS).
The aim of the pact is to strengthen and manage the integrity of the revenue generation process in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
According to the regulator, the agreement-signing ceremony, which took place at the Commission’s Head Office, Abuja on Friday, June 17, 2022, was witnessed by representatives of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
The ICRC has been guiding the partnership implementation process to give expression to the decision to procure the Solution within a PPP framework due to the scope of the project.
The move for RAS deployment began in 2015 when the Commission published a public bidding invitation open to entities that may wish to offer RAS services. 3R finally emerged as the successful bidder.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta who signed the agreement on behalf of the Commission, said the revenue solution would improve the regulation of Annual Operating Levy administration in the telecom sector whilst also conferring higher levels of integrity and fidelity on the AOL figures obtainable in the industry.
“It is our belief that if we can be able to deploy RAS and ensure we get the true picture of what the Mobile Networks Operators are supposed to be paying by way of AOL, we would have accomplished an important milestone in the area of revenue generation for the Commission as well as for the government,” the EVC said.
Danbatta commended the ICRC for its role in ensuring the successful partnership, heaping special praise on the Project Delivery Team (PDT).
“I want to commend the Project Delivery Team (PDT), comprising staff of the Commission, who worked tirelessly in ensuring that the project was brought to fruition and for all their efforts.”
He urged the 3R Company Nigeria Limited to ensure effective deployment and implementation of the project within its scope, objective and government expectations.
Raymond Wodi, the Chief Executive Officer of the 3R Company Nigeria Limited, signed the partnership on behalf of his company. He went on to express his gratitude to the Commission for its consideration of the PPP on RAS deployment.
He assured the telecom stakeholders of the company’s readiness to “meet and exceed expectations on the assignment.”
Meanwhile, the regulator said it has subjected the software and hardware components of the RAS to the certification of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
