Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology(ICT) sector have tasked the federal government to declare telecom infrastructure as national assets.

This is even as they posited that a reliable telecommunications infrastructure is essential for players to deliver services and products in an interdependent ecosystem.

Stakeholders made the call at the maiden edition of the West Africa telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE), hosted by TechnologyMirror, an ICT and Telecoms news website with support from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and IHS Towers Nigeria.

Telecom engineer and chief executive officer of RS Engineering Global Limited, Engr Spencer Itive, harped on the need for the government in the region to pay close attention to the protection of telecoms infrastructure for the region’s digital economy quest to be achieved.

Government, he said, had been paying lip services to the declaration of telecom infrastructure as critical national asset, stressing that, the lack of commitment from the government has led to a consistent attack on telecoms infrastructure across the country, adding that “we are yet to see the commitment of the government in protecting telecom infrastructure and this is why every community sees the deployment as a favour to the telecom operators.”

Itive said, a complex tapestry of partnerships now weaves together telecom companies, technology giants, governments, and a thriving ecosystem of startups noting that these partnerships would redefine the boundaries of what is possible in telecommunications.

On the future of infrastructure connectivity, the CEO said, all stakeholders in the telecoms sector had to understand that no single entity could meet the multifaceted demands of the digital age in isolation.

In the same vein, the chief executive officer, Sens Orbit Nigeria, Rachael Orumor, said over 20 million businesses across Africa use technology to interact with their clients and potential customers.

Orumor, who is based in the Republic of Benin, said, the factors that are driving digital transformation in West Africa is the increasing investment in infrastructure, growing awareness of the benefits of technology and a supportive regulatory environment. While delivering her paper virtually, she noted that, there was limited access to education, especially, for people in rural areas, who do not have access to high-speed internet or reliable mobile service, stressing the need for more attention for telecoms infrastructure in the region’s rural areas.

According to her, to leverage connectivity and technology to transform enterprise and socio-economic life in West Africa, infrastructure investments must ensure the proper functioning of existing infrastructure while expanding telecommunications reach, adding that, lack reliable telecoms infrastructure reduces economic opportunities noting that many businesses now rely on online tools and platforms to operate, and workers who do not have access to these tools may be at a disadvantage.

During the panel discussion, the chief executive officer of Coloplus, Mr Mike Ofili, a tower infrastructure company, said returns on investment in infrastructure could only be achieved in major cities where there were relative stability and a ready market, adding that, the concentration of most telecoms infrastructure in major cities, was because of vandalism, insecurity, and high right-of-way (RoW) charges experienced across the country.

Ofili, however, noted that Right of Way (RoW) charges were also high in the major cities, especially Lagos, but operators were able to sustain infrastructure deployment with higher returns from the state.