Tag:

Nigeria

NIGERIA: Buhari Grants NIMC Transition to the Ministry of Communications

by tech_admin September 10, 2020

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has authorised the transition to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy of the National Identity Management Commission.

The transition was placed in motion in an attempt to ensure cohesion and efficient supervisory structure of the ministry to organize, manage and document the success of digital transformation initiatives of the Federal Government.

The transition approval was focused on Buhari ‘s recognition of the crucial position of NIMC for the attainment of the objectives of the National Digital Economy Strategy, according to a statement released on Monday by the spokesperson of the Minister for communication, Uwa Suleiman.

Suleiman also stated that the Buhari Directive was an exemplary of his vote of confidence on Dr Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

“He has, within his first year in office, amongst others, resolved the ICT sector’s decade-long dilemma of Right of Way charges.” He said.

“He was also able to secure Mr President’s approval for the provision of security as well as designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national infrastructure.”

Suleiman also assigned to the Minister the control and deactivation of hazardous SIM cards, the introduction of more than 250 domestic internet initiatives as well as the capacity building for more than 36,000 Nigerians.

She also acknowledged the need for NIMC and other agencies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission, the National Information Technology Development Agency and Galaxy Backbone Limited to work closely together under one ministry ‘s oversight to leverage what had already been accomplished.

“NIMC has so far registered around 41 million eligible enrollees for the National Identity Number. NCC, on the other hand, has details of over 191 million mobile subscribers” Suleiman stated.

“Furthermore, NITDA has recorded huge successes in the development and implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, the country’s first codified data protection regulation. GBB also provides services to government agencies.”

Zimbabwe Develops Tools for Encrypted Video Conferencing and Messaging to Thwart Hackers

For economic planning and social action Suleiman said that the NIN given by NINC was very significant, considered to be both a social security system and a civil number.

September 10, 2020 0 comment

Tech Africa

Report: Facebook Investment in Internet Will Contributes $19.6 Billion to Nigeria’s GDP

by tech_admin July 29, 2020

written by tech_admin

Facebook infrastructure and networking investment over the next five years will bring Nigeria’s gross domestic product to $19.6 billion, according to a report by Analysys Mason.

The study entitled ‘The Impact of Facebook Connectivity Initiatives in SSA’ says that growing Facebook connectivity through OTNx Investments may have a GDP effect of $2.5 trillion for Nigeria from 2020 to 2024.

The research firm estimated that Nigeria will be contributing $16.9bn to Facebook’s edge network and submarine investment, while Express Wi-Fi would boost the country’s GDP by $160.7 m.

Analysys Mason said all of Facebook’s connectivity initiatives will bring $57bn worth of economic benefits to sub-Saharan Africa from 2020 to 2024.

The study, in collaboration with infrastructure provider MainOne, says that 750 to 800 km of fiber is used in Facebook investment in OTNx.

“An estimated 700,000 people in Uganda and 300,000 people in Nigeria got online earlier than they would have without the OTNx investments, producing an economic impact of almost $4bn between 2020 and 2024,” it said.

Analysys Mason projected that Facebook’s investments in edge network and international capacity across sub-Saharan Africa will cause total Internet traffic to rise by nine per cent by 2024.

“Based on the GSMA and Deloitte study, this higher traffic could increase the GDP-per-capita growth rate by 0.12 percentage points in each of the next five years, equivalent to a cumulative GDP contribution of more than $53bn across sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years,” it said.

The study says some of the economic benefits include increasing operators’ ability to expand large network coverage and making it easier for more people to go online.

This increases in web and Web traffic have been interpreted by researchers to mean that people can communicate more closely with each other and trade online.

All these activities generate advantage for individuals and more general economic and social benefits by enhancing health and welfare outcomes, skills and training, job development and productivity, according to the study.

Facebook Director of Public Policy Kojo Boakye commented on this article that the technology company is committed to Africa , in particular to boost the continent’s global competitiveness.

He said, “Over the last three years we’ve heavily invested in infrastructure and connectivity initiatives that aim to affordably connect people on this continent and create tangible social-economic benefits.”

“These efforts are part of a complex solution that requires all stakeholders – including mobile operators, infrastructure providers and governments – to work together for the common good.”

July 29, 2020 0 comment

Tech Africa

Nigerian Telecommunications Giant Demands Permission in Ekiti to Lay 160km of Internet Fiber Cable

by tech_admin July 21, 2020

written by tech_admin

Recently, a leading Nigerian telecoms company demanded Internet cabling clearance in the State of Ekiti, Nigeria. Ekiti is situated in Southwestern Nigeria, roughly 211 miles from Lagos, the country’s commercial capital.

This was made clear by Akin Oyebode, Special Adviser, Finance, Trade and Innovation for the Ekiti State Government, in a tweet claiming that the move was the result of the recent reduction in RoW fees.

We did this 6 weeks ago, and now, a major infrastructure provider has requested approval to lay 160km of fibre across our state. Will provide updates on their progress. https://t.co/QZA2Ywc6Ff

— Akin Oyebode (@AO1379) July 7, 2020

Whilst Oyebode has not disclosed the telco behind the proposal, MTN Nigeria has disclosed a source close to the matter. This and other information is yet to be confirmed behind this request.

We contacted MTN for observations but did not receive a reply as in the news.

The fact that the high cost of RoW in the most Nigerian states has been a major problem for the federal government in recent years is especially important.

The Ekiti state government crashed the right-of-way charges for broadband and other associated Internet services from $11.53 (almost 4,500) to $0.37 per meter on May 14, 2020.

After that, seven more states followed: plateau, Kastina, Imo, and plateau fell, Anambra and Kaduna absolutely waived it, while Kwara reduced theirs to 1 ton per meter.

A single fibre project has been under way for the last few months in Lagos, Nigeria’s industry epicentre.

Notice that in 2018, RoW was waived for 250 kilometers of fibre by the government of Ogun. Over the next 30 years, it was replaced by free Internet services in the Secretariat of the State Government.

Following these moves, we have hypothesized in this article that calls and data may be cheaper in these countries, among many other benefits. The potential side effect of discriminatory pricing.

It was decided that by 2021, this development could attract businesses and investments, increase healthcare, improve education and generate more income for the state. Their aim was to increase broadband penetration by 2021. Oyebode noted.

A near neighbor, Akure, Nigeria, has a burgeoning technology hub, but it does not indicate how much has been done to fix it. Internet connectivity issues have also occurred.

For Ekiti, the latest move appears to be setting up a vantage place for increasing broadband penetration, and its service-based innovation park, called the “Ekiti Knowledge Zone” – a project that seeks to equip thousands of graduates with the right skills.

While a number of factors can help this initiative succeed, this seems to be a step in the right direction for the State. Other states may also see similar developments. There are also opportunities.

July 21, 2020 0 comment