No fewer than 4000 rural communities in the six geo-political zones of the country would benefit from rural access connectivity programmes designed to deepen digital inclusivity and promote growth and prosperity in rural areas.
The Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, who disclosed this on Friday in Abuja, said the programmes have commenced already with impressive feedback from the rural areas.
He said more people have been uplifted in their businesses, including farmers, as a result of the ongoing rural connectivity projects across the country.
Tijani said the programme, alongside the 2 billion dollars investments in the laying of 15,000 fibre optic cables across the country, is designed to recalibrate Nigeria’s ambition to leverage the digital ecosystems for economic transformation, growth, and prosperity.
Speaking at Continental Hotel, Abuja, during the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), under the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Tijani said any country worth its salt would not be left behind in the present digital age, as all businesses and services are now connected with digitalisation.
Tijani, who urged members of the Governing Board of the USPF to hit the ground running in carrying out their assignments, said there is much work to do to bridge the rural access gaps in the country, as attention had been focused on urban areas over the years at the detriment of the rural communities.
He said the 4,000 communities would be provided with Communications towers and other equipment for Internet connectivity in schools and hospitals, and urged the USPF to live up to its mandate by bridging digital connectivity gaps in the rural communities.
The Minister said members of the Governing Board should focus on how intervention programmes are delivered in the rural communities, stating that the projects already delivered have created exciting shifts in the rural economy, with people taking advantage of the digital opportunities.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Wada Maida, expressed delight over the inauguration of the Board, saying that for a long period, the USPF has operated without a Board.
He said the inauguration of the Board would reduce workloads for critical stakeholders, while more grounds would be covered in connecting rural dwellers with internet services for growth and prosperity.
The Board Secretary, Yomi Arowosafe, congratulated the newly inaugurated Governing Board, saying that the role of the Board cannot be overemphasized as they work to deepen digital inclusion and ensure transparency and effectiveness in digital service delivery.
