Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (2020-2025) and the investment opportunities in ICT that the far-reaching initiative looks set to usher in will be explored in a detailed report by Oxford Business Group (OBG), produced in partnership with the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
Titled “Nigeria Digital Transformation: COVID-19 Response Report”, the study will provide in-depth analysis of the industry’s development during the pandemic and prospects for future growth in an easy-to-navigate and accessible format, focusing on key data and infographics.
The report will look in detail at several topical issues related to Nigeria’s ICT sector, ranging from internet penetration rates, digitalisation and fintech’s potential to cybersecurity and the emergence of industry 4.0 technologies.
It will consider how the country can build on the increase in online activity witnessed earlier in the pandemic and make ICT a key driver of non-oil growth as part of a broader bid to diversify the economy.
Here, the report will examine the challenges that the industry faces, which include a need to boost capacity to facilitate affordable connectivity in the hinterlands and landlocked areas, address network congestion and reduce cybercrime.
Commenting at the partnership signing, Olusola Teniola, ATCON former President and Nigeria National Coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Internet, said the day when affordable internet services would be accessible nationwide was drawing closer.
“The target of 2% of monthly GNI for 1GB of data is within reach,” he said. “The Nigeria National Broadband Plan for 2020-2025 is now in place and the Broadband Implementation Steering Committee is looking at ways of providing low-income populations with solutions.”
Karine Loehman, OBG’s Managing Director for Africa, added that with a concrete digital strategy in place, Nigeria was now well positioned to boost inflows for ICT expansion.
“The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital development across many markets, including Nigeria,” she said. “With Lagos already making a name for itself as a destination for tech investment and efforts to expand the non-oil sector of the economy gaining pace, the future for Nigeria’s ICT industry looks promising.”
“Nigeria Digital Transformation: COVID-19 Response Report” will form part of a series of tailored reports which OBG is currently producing with its partners, alongside other highly relevant, go-to research tools, including a range of country-specific Covid-19 Economic Impact Assessment articles and interviews.