Nigeria hosts first ITU summit as FG pledges $2bn for digital infrastructure
The Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is hosting the first-ever International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Summit in Abuja from Wednesday to Thursday this week.
Speaking at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, on Tuesday, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, described the event as a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to digital innovation, connectivity, and transforming Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
He announced that the Tinubu administration has finalised plans to invest $2 billion in digital infrastructure to boost the economy while ensuring the safety and protection of Nigerians’ digital identity and rights.
Dr. Tijani spoke alongside ITU Deputy Secretary-General, Tomas Lamanauskas, who commended Nigeria’s leadership for prioritising the growth and development of the telecommunications sector.
The ITU International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit will bring together over 250 participants from 194 ITU member countries, alongside key private sector stakeholders and academics.
The Minister who briefed reporters on the ITU Summit and its significance to Nigeria, and especially the Tinubu administration, said the present administration was not making two billion dollars investments in digital infrastructures for the fun of it.
He said the present administration is committed to digital connectivity for the people to make lives more meaningful and impactful, adding that the investments would ensure that Nigerians enjoy the best quality of digital services and protection in the nearest future.
He explained that the ITU International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit aimed to foster global collaboration, secure innovative solutions, and engage leaders from government, industry and international organisations to strengthen the global digital infrastructures.
Dr Bosun Tijani said, “For those who may not know, about 90% of the traffic that we get on the internet, the data that actually supports the internet that we use, is based on what we call the sub-sea cables.
“This is not something that the general public are typically aware of. And the challenge is that as we continue to drive and push a stronger digital economy, it is important that we ensure the resilience of that infrastructure that is the real backbone for the digital economy.
“And Nigeria, as you know, is on a drive to drive our economy towards becoming a $1 trillion economy, which is a commitment that the President has already made and the entire cabinet is walking towards.”
The Minister further explained that the summit becomes imperative for Africa given the number (4) of sub sea cables that experienced cuts in the previous year, saying that over 13 countries were affected with the attendant disruptions in network services for banks, Telcos and other sectors.
He said the international submarine cables resilience summit would address challenges of infrastructures, natural and unnatural activities that lead to cable cuts, regulatory frameworks, territorial issues, investment opportunities and the need for expansion, among others.
“I think we’ve come to the realisation that over the last years, we’ve made significant strides and progress in connecting our people, but the conversation needs to move away from just connection, but meaningful connectivity, which means you do have access to connectivity and connectivity that can allow you to be part of the global digital economy.
“At a minimum, if you’re in the urban area, you should be able to get a minimum of 25 Mbps in download. I want to say when we move the conversation to subsea cables, it’s the fact that as a country, I think we have about eight or nine submarine cables now landing in Nigeria, so capacity is not a challenge.
“The biggest challenge for us is extending those cables into the country, ensuring that it can reach every of our citizens, which is why if you follow the activities of the Ministry and this government, our government is now investing $2 billion in 90,000 kilometers of submarine, ensuring that wherever our citizens find themselves, that they have access to meaningful connectivity.
“And that’s the awareness for us that when we make this investment, we’re not just making the investment for the economy. We know that investing such an amount of money into an extensive network in the country, where the average age is about 16.9, will take more of our people online,” Dr Tijani said.
On his part, the Deputy Secretary General of ITU, Mr Tomas Lamanauskas highlighted the significance of the summit, saying that there are about 1.4million kilometers of submarine cables across the globe involving about 500 different cables. But regretted that on average, the world experienced 3 cable cuts per week, and between 150 to 200 in a year.
He said he was impressed with the spate of digital connectivity and growth in Africa and the leadership especially for its investment in the telecommunications industry.
Lamanauskas noted that Africa is currently witnessing the highest growth rate with digital connectivity which has drawn global attention in terms of opportunities and investments for expansion of the industry.
“You know, leadership is really needed at this time to meet the growing demand. If you see, again, statistics of international traffic, Africa is the fastest growing region in this regard.
“Actually, in the last five years, in Africa, the growth was around 41% of the international connectivity. You know, I mentioned that the average was around 25%. So Africa is growing much faster than the world. And therefore, this leadership is super important to satisfy the demand of the growing population,” Lamanauskas said.
He said there is hope for more investments in the sector as ITU is bringing different stakeholders like World Bank, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and others together for more funding.
