NIGERIA RANKS ELEVENTH IN GLOBAL INTERNET
By:Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The Nigeria Communications Commission says Nigeria ranks eleventh in the global internet penetration and seventh in global mobile phone usage despite its socio-economic challenges.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Professor Garba Danbatta stated this in a message to a two-day Forum on emerging technologies for the telecoms industry in Nigeria with the theme, “contextualizing the Network Readiness Index”
Professor Danbatta represented by the Director, Spectrum Data base, Mr Abraham Oshadami said despite the nation’s promising telecom profile the commission still has vast areas to cover in order for the country to reach its rightful place in the global telecom industry.
He said the commission was embracing innovation through strategic investments, and an economic friendly ecosystem.
Presenting a keynote address, Professor Shehu Galadanchi from the Bayero University, Kano said Nigeria’s Network Readiness Index, NRI ranking for 2022 is at 109th out of 131 countries; a profile he said was still inadequate for its population and economic influence in Africa and the rest of the globe.
Professor Galadanchi called for concerted efforts to enhance the broadband penetration in the country while technical inputs should be made to reverse the situation.
At the forum the cardinal pillars of the Network Readiness Index, NRI such as technology, people, governance, content and disruptive technologies were discussed with possible areas of urgent intervention to address the challenges in the telecom sector in Nigeria