Nigerians are Low in ICT Adoption,Says Minister

THE rate of adoption of ICTs by Nigerians in their human endeavour is low, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson has said.

The minister who made the disclosure during a stakeholders meeting in Lagos noted that ownership and adoption rates exhibit socio-demographic patterns noting that ownership and adoption rates are lower in rural areas than urban and amongst women than men.

She told the stakeholders made largely of experts drawn from the private sector that there is the need for the ownership and adoption rates to be improved.

She called on the stakeholders make access to infrastructure and devices (PCs and handsets) easier, more affordable to increase digital awareness and literacy amongst the population.

Johnson disclosed that the Federal Government has stepped-up efforts in that direction noting that 27 Universities are to be the fully internet connected by July this year.

The minister said that the links are currently being tested stating 12 Medical Colleges, 28 off campus sites and 9 Federal Universities by would be connected by September 2013.

According to her, the State Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education in would follow and be connected between 2014/2015 adding that the government through the Tertiary Institutions Access Project (TIAP) has provided desktop computers, printers, wireless network facilities to tertiary institutions saying that from 2013, TIAP  Universities Inter-Campus Connectivity would be providing fibre connectivity between 17 Nigerian Universities and their corresponding Medical Colleges/Teaching Hospitals

She said that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has declared Nigerian students a priority and as such through its School Access Project (SAP) has provided Classmate PCs, with e-learning content and accessories, solar power solutions, high-speed internet connectivity and wireless network deployment to government public schools.

She recalled that the project was implemented in 605 Schools between 2010 – 2012; with additional 218 schools expected to benefit in 2013 adding that government has also commenced the Student Computer Ownership Scheme , which allows students to purchase laptops via low interest rate loan with monthly repayment plan of between N3,500 and N5,800.

During the interaction with the stakeholders, which also formed part of her ministerial scorecard presentation, she said her ministry has contributed to improving security in the country through the establishment of Emergency Communications Centres adding that two pilot sites are currently operational  in Anambra and Niger States.

According to her, the Target is to have one emergency response centre in each State noting that civil works have been completed in 25 States while installation of equipment and connection to telecom operators have been completed in 11 states.

She further said that the efforts of her ministry has contributed to reducing the proportion of adult Nigerians excluded from financial services from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent by 2020 through reform of Nigeria Postal Services and the development of postal outlets to become venues for financial and economic inclusion.

Commenting on the challenges of local content and innovation, she although the Nigerian ICT Industry is dominated by international companies there is the need to create an enabling environment for innovation; lower market-entry barriers and increase the participation of Nigerian companies adding that such would stimulate job creation in the industry.

She added that participation of local companies in the industry is further restricted by the predominance of unspecialised value chains highly, fragmented industry and intense competition in limited, ‘fringe’ sub-sectors.

She said that software imports into Nigeria is estimated at about US$1bn annually saying that the international companies have 70 per cent of the PC market share, 100 per cent of mobile phone market share and 78 per cent of market shares of mobile network operators.

On the growth in base station deployment, the minister said that there are factors higher set-up and operating costs, multiple regulation and un-standardised application and approval processes as well as vulnerability of infrastructure and personnel are impeding/slowing down deployment.

She said that there are situations where operators have to wait for 6 months for approval to deploy 300 base stations adding that about 150 Base Stations were lost in 2012 due to bombings and flooding; twice as many dependent base stations were affected.

According to Johnson, there is the need for more base stations to be deployed across the country to meet the national target of a five-fold increase in broadband saying that the operators have made commitment to spend at least US$6bn on infrastructure this year.

She added that that includes US$3bn syndicate loan facility extended to major operator in the market, the biggest financial deal in sub-Saharan Africa communications sector.

On the plans to extend communications infrastructure to un-served and under-served areas of the country, she said that the Accelerated Mobile Phone Expansion (AMPE-BTS) programme has helped to deploy base stations in rural areas.

She stated that a total of 54 base stations have been installed with 28 more planned for 2013 adding that the Rural Broadband Initiative (RUBI) currently provides wholesale internet bandwidth to ISPs, Cyber cafes, and ICT centres like Community Communication Centres (CCC) in rural communities while of the 18 pilot sites selected, 12 are 95 per cent have been completed and transmission testing is currently on-going in Akure and Osogbo.

The minister acknowledged  that efforts of the private sector on fibre-optic networks was yielding results since when the ministry was established, an additional 5.1 Tb/s of capacity has been added making a total of 10Tb/s saying that this total is expected to increase further to a potential 15Tb/s by the end of the year.

But the minister expressed displeasure over the roll-out of the terrestrial fibre-optic network saying that it is not keeping pace with the increasing international bandwidth landing on Nigeria’s shores.

She said that an approximately 30,000km of fibre had been laid as at 2010 while an additional 11,000km was laid since then (of which 4,000 over power line.

The ministry, she stated has made significant  success for the operators on the issues of the Federal Right of Way (RoW) noting that her ministry  worked with the Federal Ministry of Works to review regulations.

The result, she said was that the process of applying for RoW has been standardised and applications are processed within 21 days while the price of RoW has been reduced to N145,000 per linear km stating that the procurement of right of way in states ranges between N690,000 to N6.5m per linear km

Other areas that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Works to standardise application process and pricing for right-of-way at Federal level include: developing of legal instruments to secure ICT infrastructure Nationwide, Obtained commitment by State Governments (via the National Economic Council) to collaborate on multiple taxes and regulations and negotiated single tax payment to all State government agencies on annual basis.

It also included streamlining of the right-of-way applications to be processed in 30 days and revising price downwards from as high as N6.5m per linear km to N145,000 per linear km as well as issuing  Executive Order protecting key infrastructure pending passage of Critical Infrastructure Bill.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Chairman of the Association Licensed Telecommunications Company of Nigeria, ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo said that the achievements of the ministry are luadable.