Nigeria and the United States signed a new $2.1 million grant to lay at least 90,000 km of new fibre optic backbone infrastructure across Nigeria as part of efforts to boost broadband penetration to 70 per cent.
In a statement on Tuesday, the agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani; and the US Deputy Secretary, Mr Kurt Campbell, at the inaugural US-Nigeria Technology Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on January 10.
The project, funded by the US Trade and Development Agency(USTDA), supports Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 with the goal of increasing the country’s broadband penetration rate from 42.27 per cent to 70 per cent and ensuring that at least 90 per cent of Nigeria’s population has access to affordable and reliable broadband coverage.
The US-Nigeria Technology Dialogue is designed to enhance bilateral cooperation in critical technology sectors and builds upon Mr Campbell’s earlier visit to Abuja for the sixth US-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) co-hosted with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar on April 29-30, 2024, the US Department of State and Government of Nigeria-funded Global Inclusivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) event held in Lagos on September 9-11, 2024, and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) AI event hosted by the US Department of State on September 23, 2024, in which Minister Tijani participated.
The Nigerian delegation to the Dialogue was led by Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
The project is to be funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) in its bid to support Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan for 2020-2025.
A statement by the US Department of State said: “The initiative aims to boost Nigeria’s broadband access from its current rate of 42.27% to a target of 70%, ensuring that approximately 90% of the population can access affordable and reliable internet services.”
Peoplesmind
