The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Dr Bosun Tijajani Digitat Economy Dr Bosun Jijani has listed efforts his ministry and the digital ecosystem is making to contribute in achieving Nigeria’s One Trillion Dollar Economy.
He said the National Broadband Alliance of Nigeria (NBAN), a multi-stakeholder effort to drive collaboration across government and private sector to drive universal high-quality broadband access, and the 3 Million Technical Talent programme ( 3MTT), which is delivering a workforce to improve the digital ecosystem, improving businesses, empowering individuals, and unlocking the full economic potential of Nigeria’s digital landscape are all geared towards achieving One Trillion Dollar Economy
However, bridging this digital divide is not a task for the government alone. Sustainable and impactful progress requires strong partnerships across the public and private sectors, development agencies, civil society, and local communities.
He made the remark in a speech to Industry Stakeholders who gathered to discuss digital connectivity in rural, underserved and unserved areas of the country titled Fostering Connectivity in Unserved and Underserved Communities: Collaborating for Sustainable Growth to indusrty
The event was hosted by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy; and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) .
Dr Tijani said in recent years, broadband penetration has been growing significantly, bringing millions more Nigerians online and enabling new opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion.
He said, however, that there are still millions of Nigerians on the fringes of digital transformation who are yet to have access to reliable connectivity. Many communities—particularly rural areas—face significant barriers, including inadequate infrastructure and limited digital literacy and that these gaps not only hinder personal and business growth but also limit the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy.
According to him the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) has been a critical instrument in the Federal Government’s mission to extend connectivity to these communities. By supporting infrastructure expansion, fostering local innovation, and driving inclusive policies, the USPF aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s goal of enabling meaningful and affordable connectivity for all Nigerians.The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and
He listed some of the transformative projects his ministry is driving aimed at unlocking digital opportunities for millions of Nigerians to include the 90,000km Fibre Optic Expansion) which is designed to significantly improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by extending fibre optic infrastructure to all regions.
Others are the Project 774. an initiative that ensures that every local government secretariat in Nigeria benefits from high-speed connectivity, fostering grassroots digital transformation and the Universal Access Project, dubbed as a game-changing initiative targeted at connecting over 20 million Nigerians who currently have no access to digital services.
The Minister said for Nigeria to ensure effective collaboration it must focus on four key pillars: community engagement, leveraging on existing infrastructure, sustainable solutions and access to internet.
Community must engage, he said “by understanding and addressing the unique needs of our local communities, we can encourage their participation which is crucial to ensuring that the digital infrastructure solutions provided digital are relevant, accessible, and adopted at scale”, and leverage existing infrastructure by maximizing the value of the existing investment in networks, public facilities, and energy sources to optimise cost and ensure rapid deployment of connectivity solutions.
According to him access to the internet is only beneficial if people have the skills to use it productively and therefore, ensuring that Digital literacy programs, skills training, and entrepreneurship development are integrated into the overall infrastructure and connectivity strategy.
He said the future of connectivity in Nigeria must be economically and environmentally sustainable therefore, we should explore innovative business models, alternative energy solutions, and localised interventions that ensure long-term sucess.
“We stand at a defining moment in Nigeria’s digital transformation. We have the vision, the policy framework, and the will to connect every Nigerian to the digital economy, but we need your partnership to explore alternative innovative ways to deliver on all elements of our plans.
“There is a clear role for everyone – Government at all levels, Private Sector, Development Partners and local communities in this journey.
“Together, with a clear focus on investment in last-mile connectivity, capacity building and infrastructure development as well as the creation of policies that enable the rapid deployment of digital infrastructure, we can achieve universal access to communications and digital literacy for all Nigerians by 2030”, he added.
In his remarks at the event the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida said the Commission through the USPF, has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at providing universal access and universal service.
“These efforts align with broader national and global goals, including bridging the digital divide, promoting universal access, fostering economic growth and social inclusion, and achieving Sustainable Development Goals “SDGs 4” (Quality Education) and 9(Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).
“Over time, the USPF has successfully implemented several projects under its access and connectivity programmes. Given the focus of this event, it is important to highlight keyconnectivity projects such as the deployment of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), Backbone Transmission and Infrastructure, amongst others. This engagement serves asa vital platform to discuss practical strategies to enhance the impact of these projectsthrough strengthened partnerships”, the EVC said.
