9 hours Ago By Guardian Nigeria
•Minister wants tech ecosystem collaboration to bridge the gap Twenty-five years after Nigeria’s telecommunications revolution, about 30 million Nigerians are still without basic telephony service.The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this yesterday in Lagos at the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) led Industry-Focused Stakeholders Engagement Session themed, ‘Fostering Connectivity in Unserved and Underserved Communities: Collaborating for Sustainable Growth’. Tijani, who rued the gap, disclosed that so many things are being done currently to ensure that the gap is bridged adequately and timely.
This includes Project Bridge, which is about deploying 90,000km fibre to boost broadband connectivity; Project 774, which is about connecting all local government areas in the country; Universal Access Project, which is the erection of 7000 base transceiver stations and the National Broadband Alliance of Nigeria (NBAN) and the 3MTT, which is skill development. According to him, the initiatives and support from the private sector can help propel the industry to aid Nigeria in realising the target of hitting a $1 trillion economy by 2030 as canvassed by President Bola Tinubu. The minister, however, noted that bridging this digital divide is not a task for the government alone, saying sustainable and impactful progress requires strong partnerships across the public and private sectors, development agencies, civil society, and local communities.
To ensure effective collaboration, Tijani said there must be a focus on four key pillars, which are community engagement, leveraging existing infrastructure, capacity building and developing sustainable solutions. He explained that by understanding and addressing the unique needs of local communities, the country can encourage their participation which is crucial to ensuring that the digital infrastructure solutions provided are relevant, accessible, and adopted at scale. “We must maximise the value of the existing investment in networks, public facilities, and energy sources to optimise costs and ensure rapid deployment of connectivity solutions.
Access to the Internet is only beneficial if people have the skills to use it productively. “Therefore, ensuring that digital literacy programmes, skills training, and entrepreneurship development are integrated into our overall infrastructure and connectivity strategy. The future of connectivity in Nigeria must be economically and environmentally sustainable therefore, we should explore innovative business models, alternative energy solutions, and localised interventions that ensure long-term success,” he stated.
While not disputing the Minister’s figure of 30 million gap, the Executive Secretary, USPF, Yomi Arowosafe, said the last count showed that about 23 million Nigerians are unserved in about 87 clusters (communities), stressing that the figure hovers most times. Arowosafe said there is a need for stronger collaboration among ecosystem players, including the Federal Government to ensure that all access gaps are bridged adequately. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, said the Commission, through the USPF, has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at providing universal access and universal service.
He said these efforts aligned with broader national and global goals, including bridging the digital divide, promoting universal access, fostering economic growth and social inclusion and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4) among others. Maida said over time, the USPF has successfully implemented several projects under its access and connectivity programmes. Given the focus of this event, it is important to highlight key connectivity projects such as the deployment of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), Backbone Transmission and Infrastructure, amongst others.
He said this engagement serves as a vital platform to discuss practical strategies to enhance the impact of these projects through strengthened partnerships. “Without doubt, to achieve digital inclusion, government agencies, mobile network operators, infrastructure providers, equipment manufacturers, development partners, and telecom trade groups must work closely together. It is for this reason that a multi-stakeholder approach is essential to among others explore innovative financing models to attract investment in rural telecommunications, leverage emerging technologies and alternative power solutions for sustainable connectivity and promotion of policies that incentivise collaborative participation in connectivity projects,” he stated.
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