TELECOM STAKEHOLDERS PROPOSE NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX
By Reloaded News Technology Desk
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s telecommunications and technology sectors have proposed a National Telecom Sustainability Index to measure the environmental, social and governance performance of operators.
The proposal was unveiled at a Telecoms and Technology Sustainability Working Group stakeholder meeting in Abuja.
The proposed framework would assess the industry across five areas: environment and energy; digital inclusion and affordability; digital integrity, privacy and consumer trust; infrastructure resilience and governance; and supply-chain and local value creation.
The proposed environmental indicators include energy consumption, dependence on diesel, emissions and electronic-waste management.
The digital inclusion component would examine coverage, penetration, affordability and equitable access to telecommunications services.
The framework would also assess issues including data protection, fraud, consumer complaints, service quality, fibre cuts, vandalism, network restoration and infrastructure resilience.
However, the proposed index has not yet been adopted by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The NCC said the proposal would have to be formally submitted and reviewed before the commission could take a position.
Stakeholders envisage a phased implementation beginning with pilot testing and eventually producing an annual sustainability report for Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
