The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has said that despite complaints by Nigerians, the cost of data in Nigeria is still one of the cheapest in the world.
The Minister, who stated this while featuring on a live TV program on Arise, said the focus of the Ministry would be to ensure an improvement in the quality of services Nigerians are getting from the telecommunications service providers.
According to him, in recognition of the importance of internet access to Nigerians and the economy, the Ministry would also ensure the expansion of broadband coverage to most parts of the country.
He said this would be achieved through the implementation of the country’s National Broadband Plan which is targeting the deployment of 95,000 fibre cables across the country. Under the plan, Nigeria is also targeting 70% broadband penetration by 2025.
Tijani said the Communications Ministry under him is currently being guided by four pillars aimed at transforming the nation’s economy with technology.
The Minister said the second pillar is to focus on policy to reimagine the government’s policies as not just a tool to regulate and stifle opportunity but also to open up the economy across all sectors for technological innovation to happen. He added that this is being implemented through partnerships between ministries to drive the application of technology.
Speaking specifically to infrastructure, especially in the telecommunications sector, the Minister said:
He added that the fourth pillar is what the Ministry called Innovation and Entrepreneurship.