FCDO PARTNERS ATCON ON LAST-MILE CONNECTIVITY SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom government, along with the Initiative for Digital Inclusion (IDI), in partnership with the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), will host a Technical Conference on the Sustainability of Last-Mile Connectivity Providers in Underserved and Unserved areas in Nigeria.
Techeconomy has learned that the conference, scheduled for March 27th, 2024 in Abuja, will feature presentations of findings and recommendations from a technical study on Capacity-Building and Testing Business Models for Sustainable Last-Mile Connectivity in Underserved and Unserved Areas in Nigeria. This study was commissioned under the FCDO’s Digital Access Programme and carried out by IDI.
Stakeholders expected to attend include high-level decision makers from key relevant forums in Nigeria such as the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), promoters and managers of internet service and other last-mile connectivity providers, as well as civil society representatives.
According to Osondu Nwokoro, director of IDI and a prominent telecommunications policy, law, and regulation expert and digital inclusion advocate, “the study extensively consulted various segments of the communications industry, including internet service providers, rural connectivity providers like community networks and cyber cafes, policy advocacy groups, consumer associations, and relevant government agencies. It also examined best practices in other countries.”
Nwokoro further stated that the study resulted in a Gap Analysis and a pioneering Sustainability Toolkit (Business Model), providing practical policy, regulatory, and entrepreneurial insights. These insights will be recommended for adoption by relevant policy and regulatory agencies in the communications industry, as well as service providers, during the conference.
The primary focus is to address longstanding challenges regarding the sustainability of internet service and other last-mile connectivity providers’ operations in underserved and unserved areas in Nigeria. These challenges often hinder service rollouts in these locations, thereby hindering digital access and the achievement of targets outlined in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, 2019, as well as the National Broadband Plan, 2020-2025.
According to Mr. Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president of ATCON, the outcomes of the study presented at the FCDO-supported conference will lead to the availability and improvement of broadband services, the establishment of innovation hubs, and the development of technology entrepreneurs in rural areas across Nigeria, aligning with the mandates outlined in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, 2019.
Source: Techeconmy
