President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria has become one of the first African countries to hit 100% broadband penetration.
The President disclosed this on Tuesday at the Digital Economy Conference tagged ‘Promoting a Vibrant Digital Economy, A Catalyst for Economic Growth in Nigeria’, where he was represented by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Patami.
He noted that the earlier figure of 43% broadband penetration is now obsolete, citing investments made into the sector.
Outstanding connection: The President noted that broadband penetration in Nigeria is 100 percent as investors have acknowledged the growth in the space. He said:
- “One of the richest persons in the world announced that Nigeria out of the 54 African countries has outstanding broadband. As I speak to you today the broadband penetration in Nigeria is 100 percent.”
The progress made so far: He added that FG has performed in its plan to boost broadband connectivity for all Nigerians, citing progress from 23 percent coverage in 2019, he noted his administration increased the broadband to 77 percent in 2022 and 100 percent in 2023, adding:
- “As of today, broadband can be accessed everywhere in the country whether in the urban area, rural area, or desert. We are the first African country to attain this and the only one so far.”
High Ratings: President Buhari also acknowledged that the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy had been rated very high by an independent assessment.
- “70 percent is the distinction and the digital sector has surpassed it. We delivered excellently in all eight priority areas in the sector. For instance, in pillar number one, which is broadband penetration, we achieved 134 percent, in pillar number two, which is 4G penetration we achieved 127 percent.
- “Furthermore, we delivered 99 percent on the third pillar, the fourth pillar, which has to do with national Identity we achieved 94 percent. On the fifth pillar which is quarterly revenue generation, we moved from generating N51 billion in three months to N408 billion in three months.”
What you should know: Nigeria’s broadband goals received a major boost recently as Elon Musk’s StarLink slashed the costs of its hardware and subscription plan to N274,098 and N19,260 per month, respectively.
Recall that Nairametrics earlier reported that Starlink had fixed $600 and $43 as the cost of its hardware and monthly subscription, respectively, amounting to about N438,000 and N31,000 at the parallel market rate.
Some Nigerians who pre-ordered the hardware last year paid the initial amount in dollars. But the company’s prices are now quoted in naira, which means that Nigerians can make payments using their naira debit card.