According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC there are about 40 million Nigerians without access to the internet.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta called on the ITU to examine existing African policies and change policies that pertain to internet governance, with a view to making them more impactful for Nigerians and Africans.
Speaking about internet access Danbatta said, “In Nigeria, we have more than 200 access gaps. We know where these gaps are and you won’t believe this, but these access gaps deprive Nigerians, close to 40 million of them, access to internet.”
“We need to look at what we can do to fast-track blocking of these access gaps because unless and until we do so, many of our citizens will continue to live without access to the internet especially the right kind of internet connectivity, which is the high-speed internet that is mostly facilitated by broadband infrastructure,” Danbatta said.
He urged the ITU delegates to make important suggestions on what could be done to change African enabling policies and institutions, with a view to further deepen internet penetration in Africa and Nigeria.
Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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