The School of Community Networks has concluded its 5th edition, celebrating five years of empowering young Nigerians with the skills to deploy community-driven connectivity solutions in underserved regions.
The programme, organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), graduated 25 participants this year after an intensive training focused on designing, installing and maintaining community network infrastructure.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Executive Director of CITAD, Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, said the initiative was born out of the urgent need to tackle persistent digital exclusion in rural and marginalised communities.
“The School equips participants with the skills needed to design, build and maintain community network infrastructure an essential, community-owned model that brings connectivity to places commercial operators overlook,” Ya’u said.
He explained that many telecommunications companies avoid low-income and remote areas due to low profit margins, making community networks a necessary alternative for expanding internet access.
He said while several African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana, have developed national policies supporting community networks, Nigeria is yet to institutionalise such frameworks.
Ya’u, however, noted ongoing engagements with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), expressing optimism about government support
. “Nigeria currently has no national policy on community networks, but the participation and support of the NCC in this edition show a growing commitment to recognising the importance of community-driven connectivity models,” he said.
He further stated that graduates are expected to return to their communities as ambassadors of change. “They will deploy connectivity solutions and champion enabling policies that support locally owned communication infrastructure,” he added.
The Coordinator of the Urban Community Network Project and the School of Community Networks, Adamu Hadejia, reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to reducing the widening digital divide.
Speaking to journalists, Hadejia highlighted the challenges faced by remote areas often termed the “last mile.”
“Many of these communities still struggle with weak or nonexistent network coverage,” he said.
He explained that the School was created to empower young people from such areas with practical skills in community engagement, advocacy, resource mobilisation and infrastructure deployment.
“Until communities understand that they deserve local solutions to bridge the connectivity gap, nothing can happen,” Hadejia stressed.
“It requires collective contributions from the people, service providers, regulators like NCC and NITDA, and government institutions.”
He noted that the initiative targets vulnerable groups, particularly communities with extremely poor-quality network coverage.
According to him, digital hubs established under the programme have already boosted digital literacy among young people previously hindered by fear or limited exposure to technology.
Some of the graduates shared their testimonies, expressing gratitude to CITAD and its partners for the life-changing opportunity.
They acknowledged acquiring valuable knowledge on network deployment and artificial intelligence, promising to apply these skills in their communities.
“We are grateful for the knowledge gained, and we will take it back home to make a difference,” one of the participants said.
With the continued expansion of the School of Community Networks, stakeholders say the initiative is gradually building a new generation of local connectivity champions working to close Nigeria’s digital gap.
Olusola Akintonde