Nigeria: Tijani Bares Flagship Initiatives, Focus Areas To Ensure Collaboration,Gut Digital Divide

By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West, Nigeria

Over the course of the past 25 years, Nigeria has made significant strides in expanding connectivity and strengthening its digital technology infrastructure, with recent years seeing broadband penetration  growing significantly and  bringing millions more Nigerians online and enabling new opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion, but today, however, there are still millions of Nigerians on the fringes of digital transformation who are yet to have access to reliable connectivity.

The Federal Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy(FMoCIDE), Dr. Bosun Tijani made this observation today  in his remarks around the theme: Fostering Connectivity in Unserved and Underserved Communities: Collaborating for Sustainable Growth delivered at the industry-focused Stakeholder’s Engagement Session of the Universal  Service Provision Fund (USPF) at Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, south west, Nigeria.

The session was organized under the auspices of the Universal Service Provision Fund in  collaboration with the ITU and support from the UK FCDO.

“Many communities—particularly rural areas—face significant barriers, including inadequate infrastructure and limited digital literacy. These gaps not only hinder personal and business growth but also limit the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy,” stated Dr. Tijani.

According to Tijani, the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) had been a critical instrument in the Federal Governments’s mission to extend connectivity to these communitie saying  by supporting infrastructure expansion, fostering local innovation, and driving inclusive policies, the USPF aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goal of enabling meaningful and affordable connectivity for all Nigerians.

As per the Minister, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, was also actively driving transformative projects aimed at unlocking digital opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

He listed some of the flagship initiatives to close this divide as follow:

1. Project BRIDGE (90,000km Fibre Optic Expansion) which is designed to significantly improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by extending fibre optic infrastructure to all regions.

2. Project 774: This initiative ensures that every local government secretariat in Nigeria benefits from high-speed connectivity, fostering grassroots digital transformation.

3. The Universal Access Project: A game-changing initiative targeted at connecting over 20 million Nigerians who currently have no access to digital services.

4. The National Broadband Alliance of Nigeria (NBAN): Our multi-stakeholder effort to drive collaboration across government and private sector to drive universal high quality broadband access

5. The 3 Million Technical Talent programme ( 3MTT): Which is strengthening our talent pipeline to deliver a workforce to improve the digital ecosystem.

The FMoCIDE helmsman added: “These projects are not just focussed on infrastructure; but also about enabling businesses, empowering individuals, and unlocking the full economic potential of Nigeria’s digital landscape as we work towards a 1 Trillion Dollar Economy

However, bridging this digital divide is not a task for the government alone. 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 enumerated four key pillars to be focused on:

a. Community Engagement: By understanding and addressing the unique needs of our local communities, we can encourage their participation which is crucial to ensuring that the digital infrastructure solutions provided digital are relevant, accessible, and adopted at scale.

b. Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: We must maximize the value of the existing investment in networks, public facilities, and energy sources to optimize costs and ensure rapid deployment of connectivity solutions.

c. Capacity Building: 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.

d. Sustainable Solutions: 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.