The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami on Thursday delivered the keynote address in Nigeria, United Kingdom National technical conference on Right of Way (RoW) and Site Build Permitting held virtually.
The virtual event was organized by the United Kingdom (UK) Prosperity Fund’s Digital Access Programme and Greenfields Law, in collaboration with the Ministry and the Nigerian Communications Commission.
In his address titled: “Right Of Way Reforms: Unlocking Nigeria’s Inclusive Digital Economy, Pantami stated that bearing in mind the importance of a digital economy, President Muhammadu Buhari re-designated the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on the 17th of October, 2019.
The change was officially endorsed at the Federal Executive Council on the 23rd of October, 2019 and the process of implementing a digital economy for the country began on the 24th of October, 2019, Pantami added.
The Minister disclosed that after receiving briefing from the telecoms regulator and stakeholders in the industry, he discovered that the Right of Way Levy was one of the major obstacles to enhancing broadband penetration in Nigeria, revealing that this informed his decision to engage with the Nigeria Governors Forum and addressed the Right of Way Issue that had lingered for over a decade.
On her part, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Her Excellency, Catriona Laing CB commended the Minister for developing the National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 which was launched and Unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari .
