Nigeria has become the first country to endorse the affordability threshold proposed by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI).
A4AI said Nigeria’s ministry for communications has officially endorsed the affordability threshold which it projects would best support efforts to ensure greater access to the internet around the world. In return, it said it will support Nigeria in ensuring that citizens benefit from limiting the price of a 1GB bundle to no more than 2% of an individual’s monthly income, in a scheme known as “1 for 2”.
“Consequently, A4AI and the Ministry share the common goal to make the Internet universally affordable for all who want to use it. This goal is quantified in a measure of having 1 Gigabyte of bandwidth not costing more than 2% of a person’s monthly income.”
ITWeb Africa reported that A4AI described approval of the target by the Ministry as a significant step forward, as described in a statement on its website.
“In 2016, A4AI called on countries to adopt a new, more ambitious target for what counts as ‘affordable’ internet access — a 1GB bundle costing no more than 2% of monthly incomes, or “1 for 2″. Nigeria recently became the first nation to formally endorse this target. We’d like to congratulate Nigeria for the nation’s vision in taking this step, and we stand ready to help make it a reality for all of her citizens.”
