Prof. Danbatta delivering his papers. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms regulator for Africa's fastest growing telecoms industry plans to step-up Internet connectivity speed to 10 megabits per second (Mbps) in rural areas and 25 megabits per second Mbps in urban areas by 2025.
The NCC said it also plans effective coverage will be available to, at least, 90 per cent of the population by 2025 at a price not more than N390 per one gigabyte of data. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta made this known while delivering the 10th and 11th combined Convocation Lecture of the Fountain University at Osogbo, Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria. Danbatta who spoke on the theme: "Empowering the Nigerian Youth though Information and Communication Technology", said that the NCC is propelled in that direction due to the impact of telecoms and ICT on Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last ten years. He stated that ICT has consistently contributed more than 10 per cent of the Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the telecom sector alone and contributed 12.45 per cent to GDP as at the fourth quarter of 2020.
He further disclosed that Nigeria accounts for 82 per cent of Africa's ICT market and 29 per cent of continental Internet usage and sub-Sahara Africa being the fastest growing region for ICT adoption. And as such, he said that the Government, is determined to ensure that the nation harness full benefits of ICT, and has instituted a broadband vision that will see Nigeria as a society of connected communities of high-speed broadband access and connectivity. Danbatta appealed to the Nigerian youth to take advantage of Government's laudable policies, which have found expression in many activities of the Commission targeting youth. According to him, the adoption of digital revolutions by government is creating multiplier effects across critical sectors, aiding job creation, better governance, youth empowerment and overall socio-economic development.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olalekan Sanni, described Danbatta as an accomplished academician and administrator, whose wealth of experience was considered worthy of tapping into by the university community towards proffering solutions to the issue of youth empowerment and to suggest ways for enhancing Nigeria's socio-economic life through effective leveraging of ICT.
From TechnologyMirror.
