NIGCOMSAT advocates homegrown satellite solutions to address insecurity

The Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) has called for the adoption of homegrown satellite solutions to address the challenges of banditry and terrorism facing the country.

The Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Mrs. Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idohen made the call recently in Kaduna, North-West, Nigeria.

She said NIGCOMSAT is fully equipped to provide these solutions to meet Nigeria’s unique security needs.

According to Egerton-Idohen, it was imperative to utilise domestic satellite capabilities to strengthen the country’s security architecture.

She expressed concern over the prevalent trend of security agencies seeking foreign partners for satellite assistance.

“Why go abroad when we have the expertise and capacity right here at NIGCOMSAT?”

The NIGCOMSAT boss said, “NIGCOMSAT aims to position itself as a key player in fortifying national security by leveraging its satellite resources to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance, and communication for security agencies.

“In the aspect of security, most countries prefer to use their own private satellite to address security concerns. So, one of the things we’ve been doing is to go back to our security agencies and bring them back on the table. We don’t see why they have to go to foreign satellite partners to address these concerns when NIGCOMSAT covers every single breadth of Nigeria. We have the available capacity and the expertise to give them the solution they need.

“It is a plea we have been making. We do want to work with the security agencies. We have already started working with some of them, but we think there is more opportunity to do more. We have the capacity and capability to do it. I think it is becoming important that it becomes a high priority,” she emphasized.

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Mrs. Egerton-Idohen highlighted NIGCOMSAT’s dedication to providing the nation with dependable internet services while acknowledging technology as the engine of economic growth.

She urged the Kaduna State government to collaborate with the agency to provide broadband access and other solutions that could enhance various sectors, including small and medium enterprises, education, and healthcare.

On the initiatives taken by NIGCOMSAT to foster innovation in satellite technology, the Managing Director said the agency was promoting the NIGCOMSAT Accelerator Programme.

She added that the programme was designed for early-stage companies with space-tech solutions to catapult startups into the global space-tech arena through mentorship, networking, and exposure.