All State Governors in Nigeria are set to discuss how to empower the citizens with the latest telecom technologies as they partake in the maiden edition of the Broadband Technical Awareness Forum for Governors, (BTAF).
The Forum which will be put together by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, is slated for Thursday, October 20, 2022, in Abuja.
The programme is tagged: “State Broadband Coordinating Councils: Potentials and Possibilities”. It will appraise the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, which targets 70 percent broadband penetration and covers 90 percent of the population.
The Director, of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka said the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami will play host to the historic and seminal assemblage of governors under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
Other strategic members of the State Executive Council, telecom operators, infrastructure companies (InfraCos), strategic partners, investors and other critical stakeholders, will brainstorm on how Nigeria can achieve the expectations of Nigeria’s digital economy agenda.
Mr. Mouka, a Board member of the NCC, led by the Chairman, Prof. Adeolu Akande, and the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, will participate at the BTAF with the objective to promote the establishment of State Structures required for sustainable broadband infrastructure development at the State and Local Government Council levels, thereby addressing hindrances to the Federal Government’s drive to achieve available, accessible and affordable broadband services for Nigeria’s economy.
Mouka also said that the Forum is expected to affirm the commitment of the government to adopt the broadband structure and last-mile projects, particularly the economic viability of broadband deployments beyond the cities, with a strategic focus on funding models and procedures for remarkable and measurable impact.
He added that there will be a special panel session involving the Governors and development-focused partners both at local and international levels
Olusola Akintonde
