Prof. Ernest Ndukwe
Chairman: Openmedia Group and Head of Centre for Infrastructure Policy, Regulation and Advancement, Lagos Business School
Ernest Ndukwe, Officer of the order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is an electrical engineer and former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
He obtained a Bachelor of science (BSc) degree in Electrical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in 1975. He later proceeded to Harris Corporation Training School, Melbourne, Florida where he received a certificate in Satellite communication (1977), and participated in the Chief Executive Programme (CEP) at Lagos Business School in 1994.
He began his professional career with Radio Communications Nigeria (RCN) Limited in 1976, and was sent by RCN for in-service training at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Florida (USA) in August 1976.
He returned to Nigeria in August 1977 to continue his service with Radio Communications Nigeria (RCN) where he rose to the position of maintenance supervisor in 1978, and assistant engineering manager in 1979. He was appointed as President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
In 1980 he began his career with GEC Telecommunications as Engineering Manager and quickly rose to become the Commercial Director of the company in 1988, and Managing Director in 1989. In February 2000 he was appointed by the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). After his initial tenure at NCC he was re-appointed for a second five-year term during which time he presided over the building of an internationally respected institution, developing their reputation as a strong, transparent and open regulatory agency. Under his tenure at the NCC the ICT industry witnessed tremendous growth and transformation, leading to what has generally been referred to as the era of Nigeria’s Telecommunications Revolution.
He is currently chairman of Openmedia Group as well as a part-time faculty member at Lagos Business School where he heads the Centre for Infrastructure Policy, Regulation and Advancement (CIPRA) He also on the board of the Research ICT Africa Network, and was appointed as Non-Executive Director of access bank Plc in 2013.
He is the recipient of five honorary doctorate degrees from various universities and is an Officer of the order of Federal Republic. He is also a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Nigerian Institute of Management Technology, and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.
