Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, on Tuesday, February 18, 2020,received the draft report of the National Broadband Plan Committee 2020-2025.
The report was presented to him in his office by the Chairman of the Committee, CEO MainOne Cable, Funke Opeke. The Committee is co-chaired by former Executive Commissioner Technical Services and Acting Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer(Ag.EVC/CEO) at NCC, Dr. Bashir Gwandu. Dr. Gwandu is on the Advisory Board Of Cyber Era. Engr. Ubale Maska, NCC’s Executive Commissioner Technical Services Engr. Ubale Maska is the Secretary of the Committee.
The presentation ceremony was graced by industry heavyweights including but not limited to members of the Committee and the EVC/CEO of NCC, Prof. Danbatta.
Dr. Pantami inaugurated the Committee on 16 December 2019 to develop a new National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 that will be a guiding template for further development of the telecommunications sector.
This followed the expiration of the 2013-2018 National Broadband Plan which was designed to achieve at least 30 per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria. At the expiration of the old Plan, Nigeria achieved 37.8 per cent broadband coverage.
At the inauguration of the new NBP Committee, Pantami also urged the members to review the old plan, examine its challenges and proffer solutions. He equally urged the committee to undertake the assignment in the context of growing and emerging technologies.
The new broadband plan, being developed with the support and collaboration of the Government of the United Kingdom (UK), is expected to increase broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025 in order to give concrete expression to Federal Government’s commitment to making Nigeria a truly digital economy.
It will be recalled that on January 3, 2020, while engaging a cross-section of the Nigerian press at a Media Briefing and Chat, Dr. Pantami promised that the report of the new NBP Committee would be ready in the first quarter of the year 2020.
