Communications Minister Seeks Partnership To Enhance Speedy Broadband Penetration, By Samuel Mayowa

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ali Ibrahim Pantami has urged agencies to iron out ways to achieve the speedy implementation of the new National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025.

Pantami who made this known at a stakeholders’ consultation in Abuja on Monday also stressed the need for collaboration between public and private stakeholders. This he said is aimed at achieving the national target of 70 percent broadband penetration set by the new NNBP 2020-2025.

Pantami emphasized the importance of the consultative forum to the government as it will “bring all the stakeholders on the same page for effective implementation of the NNBP 2020-2025” and therefore needs the support and engagement of stakeholders.

“So far, the journey for broadband penetration in Nigeria has been quite commendable and with the steady growth we are making, we are hopeful that our digital economy drive will be actualized. It is, however, important to bear in mind that broadband penetration, access to smartphones, development of digital identity ecosystem and biometric verification of bank accounts, are four key elements that can drive the digital economy,” he said.

The minister further asked stakeholders to provide suggestions on how broadband penetration can be fast-tracked.

He also added that some policies are being put in gear in order to create an enabling environment for a pervasive deployment of broadband infrastructure.

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On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, stated that while steady progress has been made with 54,724, kilometer of fibre so far deployed across the country, the Commission is intensifying their efforts not only to increase this milestone in fibre infrastructure but also ensure their maximum protection by working with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to stem the spate of infrastructure vandalism.