Nigeria’s communication minister Adebayo Shittu, has revealed plans to review the Nigerian National Broadband Plan next year when the plan’s longevity period will elapse.
He told ThisDay that the review would be necessary in order to finetune its contents, in line with global technology trends. He also said timeframe would be considered in achieving certain parameters in the reviewed broadband plan, in order to speed up broadband penetration in the country.
“We have a broadband plan that is designed to make broadband available to all Nigerians. The broadband plan is a five year plan from 2013 to 2018, but hopefully it will be reviewed by the end of next year. By next year we will review the broadband plan and come up with new plan that will catchup with modern technology trends,” Shittu said.
According to him, the target of 30 per cent broadband penetration as enshrined in the plan was even a low target for Nigeria, considering the clamour for ubiquitous broadband access by Nigerians.
He however expressed optimism that the country would surpass the 30 per cent penetration target, given the current statistics, which he said, showed some significant growth level in the country’s broadband penetration.
According to him, “broadband is the enabler to technology development of any nation. The issue of broadband accessibility is the key to technology development. So government wants Nigerians to come together and ensure that broadband is accessible and affordable to all Nigerians. Government is encouraging private sector investment in broadband in order to make it accessible and affordable,” Shittu assured Nigerians.