Jones Kilimbe, director general, Regional African satellite communications organization has urged Nigeria to re-invest in the regional satellite communications in Africa.
Kilimbe stated this during a courtesy call on Alhassan Zaku, minister of science and technology, in Abuja.
He noted that Nigeria was a major stakeholder in satellite communications and a key player in telecommunications, but that the country’s index in the satellite project has dropped from 6 to 2 percent, below some countries like Senegal, Togo and Gambia.
He said Nigeria needed to be the leader in satellite communications because it was one of the initiators of the projects in Africa, with over 6 percent shares, and that the country should think of the growing importance of the project and reinvest in it now that the region is set to re-lunch its satellite by June 2010.
He said that with the re-lunch of the new satellite in the region, Africans will be competing with the rest of the world in telecom and Internet services.
In response, the minister expressed appreciation to Kilimbe for the visit, and said Nigeria will cooperate with the regional African satellite project operators for best results, noting that the country would have more advantage if she worked together with others.
Zaku promised to liaise with NigComSat to proffer a workable solution that will be beneficial to the regional operators and Nigeria.
