Nigeria, alongside nine other countries in Africa, is to benefit from the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) €15 million broadband mapping initiative aimed at accelerating regional digital transformation.
ITU, the United Nations arm in charge of global communications, announced this during the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) in Kampala, Uganda.
Other countries that will benefit from the initiative include Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ITU said the Africa National Broadband Mapping Systems (AfricaBBMaps) project, supported by the European Commission, will help establish broadband mapping systems to foster investment and digital transformation in Africa. With a budget of EUR 15 million over four years, the project will initially benefit 11 countries.
According to the ITU, broadband mapping is a prerequisite for investment in sustainable, inclusive broadband infrastructure that leaves no one behind.
It added that the AfricaBBMaps aims to establish broadband mapping systems that are capable of producing readily available validated data to identify internet connectivity gaps in coverage, quality, and affordability in beneficiary countries.
This is expected to enable data-driven decision-making for investments in digital infrastructure, promising a brighter future for ICT in the selected countries.
A network development expert at the ITU, Vladimir Daigele, described mapping as “important to understand the reality in a place, as it allows different stakeholders to come together and plan optimal network technologies and financing solutions”.
With broadband penetration in Nigeria currently at about 43 per cent and currently 27 per cent short of the 70 per cent target of 2025 as enshrined in the ongoing implementation of the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025), the selection of Nigeria as one of the beneficiaries of the AfrcaBBMaps comes as a boost to the country’s broadband expansion.
Meanwhile, the ITU stated that ICT regulators that participated in the GSR-24 have endorsed a set of guidelines to maximize the benefits of transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs).
According to the body, the “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” agreed by ICT regulators include a series of considerations for balancing innovation with regulation to create a positive impact on societies and economies from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
The post Nigeria to benefit from ITU’s €15m broadband mapping programme appeared first on Guardian Nigeria News.
