Nigeria is set to benefit from £1.2bn intervention fund, which the British government plans to pour into a number of countries to bridge access to communication. The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this following a meeting with a team from the United Kingdom’s Department of Foreign and International Development.
Danbatta, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, said the NCC and the Government of the United Kingdom agreed at the meeting to collaborate on digital inclusion, cybersecurity and capacity building. The NCC boss stated, “This delegation is here to explore how the UK government can channel a significant intervention to the tune of £1.2bn to create wealth and posterity in selected countries around the world
“This creation of posterity will leverage the power of the ICT to provide access to un-served and underserved areas in the country. The intervention is also on cybersecurity and capacity building, three key areas.” Danbatta had told the delegation that there were 200 access gaps in Nigeria and that the NCC was looking at different rural technology solutions to plug them in two years as against the 20 years projected.
He said, “With the right rural technology solution, we can do it faster because at the rate we are plugging the gaps, it will take us about 20 years to conclude.”
Source: Punch Newspaper
