from OKORO CHINEDU in Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
LAGOS, (CAJ News) – THE United States has committed a grant of over $2 million for the deployment of over 90 000km of new fibre optic backbone infrastructure across Nigeria.
This is under the aegis of the US-Nigeria Technology Dialogue of the former’s Department of State.
The funding is under the Broadband Study Grant.
Kurt Campbell, Deputy Secretary, this week led the inaugural US- Nigeria Technology Dialogue in Washington, hosting a senior delegation from the Nigerian government led by the visiting Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.
This event built on the momentum of Deputy Secretary Campbell’s visit to Abuja for the sixth US-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) co-hosted with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar last April, the US Department of State and Government of Nigeria-funded “Global Inclusivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI)” event held in Lagos in September 9 and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) AI event hosted by the US Department of State also in September 2024.
The US-Nigeria Technology Dialogue is designed to enhance bilateral cooperation in critical technology sectors, seize opportunities in technology and innovation and strengthen interagency collaboration and stakeholder engagement in both countries.
“These objectives advance the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative, by facilitating a more conducive investment environment for digital transformation, promoting digital infrastructure and connectivity, and supporting digital skills development and talent cultivation,” stated the US Department of State.
The above-mentioned fibre project, funded by the US Trade and Development Agency, supports Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 with the goal to increase the country’s broadband penetration rate from 42,27 percent to 70 percent while ensuring that at least 90 percent of Nigeria’s population has access to affordable and reliable broadband coverage.
Nigeria has Africa’s largest population, estimated at 237 million.
– CAJ News