……….Records unprecedented success rate in Nineteen Years
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, on Thursday, 3rd June 2021, informed Nigerians that the Digital Economy sector under the administration of President Mohammad Buhari GCFR, has recorded a 45% increase in Broadband penetration from the 30% rate achieved in nineteen years From the year 2000. This quantum leap represents a 10% increase within a year, from the period of September 2019 to November 2020.
According to a press release signed by the spokesperson to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Uwa Suleiman, she said that Dr Pantami who assumed office as Minister of the now Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in August of 2019, made this disclosure at a briefing organised by the All Progressive Congress Professional Forum while giving account of his stewardship in that capacity.
He told newsmen that the unprecedented success in the area of broadband penetration was due to the enabling policies established by the Federal Government in its commitment to digitalise Nigeria.
“On assumption of office, we had a statistic of 50million Nigerians with no access to telecommunication facilities. We developed the National Broadband Plan 2020-2030 which targets a 90% penetration rate in terms of population and a 70% rate in terms of our total land mass within the next two years.
It also targets a speed of 25mbps for urban areas while a 10mbps speed is targeted for rural areas. So far, we have been able to achieve a 10% increase just within a year which brings the success rate to 45%. This is unprecedented and it is because of the President’s commitment to a digital Nigeria and support in approving our policies”
Dr Pantami noted that a digital economy is an enabler of all sectors and its importance cannot be underscored, as only digital economies will be relevant in global affairs in the near future. According to him, “Broadband is the backbone of a digital economy as it has been identified by global experts that a 10% increase in Broadband penetration will increase the Gross Domestic Product of an economy by 1.6 to 1.8 percent”.
Pantami’s Digital Economy sector remains the fastest growing sector with the highest contribution to Nigeria’s GDP in the present administration.
