The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has appointed Princess Oforitsenere Emiko as Interim Chairman of the governing board of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI).
The Commission announced the appointment on Monday via a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha.
NCC said the appointment forms part of efforts to reposition the Institute to support the next phase of growth in Nigeria’s communications and digital economy sectors.
Interim board members also appointed
The NCC disclosed that Engr. Abraham Oshadami, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, and Ms. Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, have also been appointed as interim board members.
According to the Commission, the interim leadership will work alongside the President and Chief Executive Officer of DBI, Mr. David Daser, and other serving board members whose tenures remain valid, to drive the Institute’s transformation agenda.
DBI was established by the NCC in May 2004 as a specialised centre for training in telecommunications and information technology.
However, the Commission noted that the rapid evolution of the sector from traditional telecommunications into a broader digital economy has created the need for more advanced and continuous technical training.
The NCC stated that communications infrastructure and digital capabilities have increasingly become critical to national competitiveness, sovereignty, and economic development, making investment in digital skills and institutional capacity more important.
Repositioning DBI
According to the Commission, the repositioning of DBI is also targeted at Nigeria’s youthful population, with about 70% of citizens under the age of 30.
The initiative is expected to equip young Nigerians with technical skills required to bridge capability gaps in the communications sector and accelerate technology adoption across the wider digital economy.
As part of the transformation strategy, the Institute will focus on five key areas, including education and training, research and development, innovation, economic impact and growth, as well as emerging policy and regulation.
The NCC added that the restructuring plan was developed through engagements with several government institutions beyond the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
These include the Federal Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
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