Honourable Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu has urged Civil Society Organisations, techies, Telecommunication experts as well as ICT experts not to relent in search for better innovative ideas that could compete in the global standards for improved broadband penetration and service delivery within the communication sector.
The Minister made this known at the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4Al) Coalition meeting and official launching of the Affordability Report in Lagos, on Tuesday, 25th April 2017.
According to him, existing synergy and collaboration between the CSOs and the Ministry of Communication would not only ensure better policy direction particularly in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of improved broadband penetration and its affordability across the country, it would also bring about speedy socio-economic growth and development in all strata.
Also speaking at the event, Onica Makwawa, who is the A4AI Africa Regional Coordinator, during her presentation of the Affordability Driver Index which places Mauritius and Morocco, first and second respectively and Nigeria, in the third position amongst the top 10 African countries surveyed said, although there have been slow pace of policy and regulatory progress in Nigeria, however, slow progress still means millions of Nigerians are still excluded in accessing internet which is not in line with Global Goals of ‘Leave no one Behind’.
“Nigeria currently ranks 13th (out of 58 countries surveryed) on the 2017 Affordability Driver Index. This is a decrease from the 12th place ranking Nigeria earned in the 2015/16 ADI, therefore, there is much to do in this regard” she said.