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Pantami Inaugurates Committee to Increase Broadband Penetration by 2025

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Dr Isa Pantami
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Federal Government on Thursday inaugurated a Broadband Implementation Steering Committee (BISC), to accelerate the attainment of the country’s broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025.

Pantami Inaugurates Committee to Increase Broadband Penetration by 2025

 Dr Isa Pantami

Dr Isa Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja, said the current 40.18 per cent penetration should be raised to improve the contribution of the sector to the nation’s GDP.

“If you look at the contribution of technology to our GDP, what we have achieved in the first quarter of 2020 is unprecedented, the contribution is 14.07 per cent.

“So this is a clear indication that the more there is proper penetration, the more the nation’s GDP will increase.

“Part of the plan is that we are targeting at least 90 per cent of our population in Nigeria to have access to broadband, so we are targeting 70 per cent penetration by 2025,” he said.

The minister said before now, the broadband penetration was 31 per cent but based on the recent report released by the NCC, the broadband penetration had now increased to 40.18 per cent.

According to him, it represents almost 10 per cent penetration in less than a year.

He explained that the new Broadband Plan, 2020-2025, was designed to deliver data download speeds across Nigeria at a minimum of 25Mbps in urban areas, and 10Mbps in rural areas.

Pantami said the aim was to ensure effective coverage of at least 90 per cent of the population by 2025 at a price not more than N390:00 per 1GB of data (i.e. two per cent of median income or one per cent of minimum wage).

According to the minister, the plan is being tailored in line with the pledge by President Muhammadu Buhari to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

“The plan will accelerate the aspiration of the country, as it leap frogs with the rest of the developed world toward the widespread deployment of 5G technologies, even while it is yet to achieve significant 4G coverage and adoption.

“With the 14.7 per cent contribution to the nation’s GDP, Nigerian government believes that rapid rollout of broadband services will address various socio-economic challenges faced by the country.

“Some of the challenges include: to grow its economy, create jobs, rapidly expand the tax base, and improve digital literacy and educational standards,” he said

He added that the current plan was to ensure the deployment of nationwide fibre coverage to reach all state capitals and a point of presence in at least 90 per cent of local government headquarters.

According to him, it also targeted to reach tertiary institutions, major hospitals in each state and 60 per cent of base stations by 2025 at statutory rates of N145 per meter for Right of Way (RoW).

He said that the ministry’s engagement with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had inspired several state governments to adopt the N145 per meter and a few of these states had waived the fee altogether.

“President Buhari has also directed the security agencies to protect all critical national infrastructure,” he said

On jobs creation, Pantami said that the fibre to the Home Council Europe, a 25 million EUR investment in information and communications technology, including smart grid and broadband, would create or retain 700,000 jobs.

The minister noted that out of the figure 360,000 would be small business jobs.

He said that higher standard of living and socio-economic development had caused the growth of e-health, e-education and e-government, among others.

He, however, mandated the committee to ensure effective monitoring and implementation of the plan.

“You are expected to adopt the Broadband Plan as your working manual; you should become very familiar with the 100-page document.

“I believe that a combination of the knowledge of its content and your subject matter expertise will enable you to provide a catalyst for innovative solutions to the implementation of the Plan.

“I often state that no Policy or Plan can implement itself.

“As such, it is critical to ensure that an adequate level of monitoring and feedback are integrated into your activities,” he said.

In his remarks, Prof Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), thanked the Minister for putting the committee together and urged it to work in synergy with other related agencies.

Mr Ubale Maska, chairman of the Committee, who is also the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, explained that broadband was the centre of any digital economy of a country.

“We are humbled to be members of the implementation committee responsible for steering the National Broadband Plan (NBBP).

“We express our commitment to bring to bear our wealth of experience for the successful implementation of the plan,” he said.

Other dignitaries at the occasion includes Mr Kashifu Inuwa, director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, managing director of Galaxy Backbone.


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Trump Ends Funding for Malaria, Other Global Health Programs

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The Trump administration has ceased funding for roughly 5,800 global health programs, including those that support providing vaccines, life-saving medications, and emergency health care to millions of people around the world.

Trump Ends Funding for Malaria, Other Global Health Programs

Donald Trump

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department began sending out a wave of emails informing thousands of health groups, refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics, and polio vaccination projects that they would no longer receive funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), per the New York Times.

The funding was distributed to a wide range of programs, including those for HIV treatment, malaria prevention in Africa, and maternal health care in Nepal.

More major projects now canceled due to the funding cut include: a $90 million malaria prevention contract, a project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that provided water for 250,000 displaced people living in conflict zones, HIV care and treatment in Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini run by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a $34 million medical supply management contract in Kenya, 87 shelters in South Africa that support thousands of women who have survived rape and domestic violence, a Yemen community health program in Yemen that identified malnourished children, and a severe acute malnutrition treatment project in Nigeria that serves millions of children and women.

“People will die, but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut,” Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, said in a statement.

 

 

 


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NAFDAC Withdraws Registration of Artemether/Lumefantrine Oral Suspension over Stability Concerns

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Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC,
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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the discontinuation of the registration of Multi-Dose Anti-Malarial (Artemether/Lumefantrine) dry powder for oral suspension.

NAFDAC Withdraws Registration of Artemether/Lumefantrine Oral Suspension over Stability Concerns

Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC,

The decision follows stability concerns, as studies have shown that the reconstituted formulations lose efficacy over time.

The announcement was made in a public alert No. 01/2025, released on the agency’s website.

NAFDAC confirmed that the suspension applies to all locally manufactured and imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral use.

Consequently, the agency will no longer accept new applications, renewals, or variations for any local or imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral suspension.

According to NAFDAC, stability studies revealed that reconstituted Artemether/Lumefantrine oral suspension becomes unstable after mixing, leading to a loss of efficacy.

“This loss can have severe health consequences, including treatment failure, increased risk of complications, and, in extreme cases, death,” the agency stated.

All NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been instructed to conduct surveillance and remove all affected products from circulation.

The agency has also directed importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers to immediately halt the importation, distribution, sale, and use of these medications.

NAFDAC has urged healthcare professionals and consumers to report any suspected sale of these products or related substandard medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office or via the agency’s toll-free number: 0800-162-3322. Reports can also be submitted via email at [email protected].

Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report adverse reactions through the Med-Safety mobile app, available on Android and iOS, or via email at [email protected].

NAFDAC confirmed that this notification would be uploaded to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) as part of its regulatory measures.

 

 

 


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NITDA Empowers Civil Servants with IT Project Clearance Training

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In line with the presidential priority areas of reforming the economy for sustained inclusive growth and improving governance for effective service delivery, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced a training programme for 1000 civil servants from various MDAs on Information Technology (IT) Project Clearance processes in creating a digitally viable workforce in the public sector towards achieving the desired digital transformation mandate of the present administration.

The opening of the capacity building programme for ICT, Budget, Finance and Planning Officers of Federal Public Institutions, held at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Kubwa, Abuja, will be conducted in batches to equip participants with essential knowledge, skills, and best practices.

It aims to enhance collaborative planning, budgeting, and management of ICT system acquisition, deployment, operation, and sustainability in the public sector, ensuring a whole-of-government approach to digital projects.

In his opening remark with the theme, “Empowering Public Sector ICT Excellence Through Strategic Planning and Effective Funding”, the DG NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, emphasised the critical role of strategic planning and funding in enhancing public sector service delivery.

While reiterating the agency’s commitment to digital transformation through the implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, the DG who was ably represented by the agency’s Director of IT Infrastructure Solutions department, Mr Oladejo Olawunmi, underscored the importance of equipping public sector employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to drive digital initiatives effectively.

Disclosing that NITDA is spearheading digital transformation efforts through its SRAP 2.0, he stated, “This plan aligns with national priorities and aligns with our strategic pillars such as talent development, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, innovation, and policy-enablement to foster a sustainable digital economy”.

However, Inuwa acknowledged the challenges hindering digital transformation in the public sector, including inadequate collaboration among stakeholders, short-term project planning, poor ICT infrastructure maintenance, software licensing issues, and insufficient capacity-building. These barriers, he noted, have contributed to suboptimal outcomes in government-led digital initiatives.

Noting that most project stagnations or failures are attributed to inadequate integration of modern trends such as cloud computing, remote support, and enterprise network services into project planning, Inuwa averred that the agency has strengthened its IT projects clearance process to ensure that digital initiatives are well-conceptualized, planned, and executed in alignment with intended objectives.

“While there have been notable achievements, only 12 percent of Federal Public Institutions, FPIs comply with the process, necessitating a whole-of-government approach for full alignment with national digital transformation goals,” he revealed.

Emphasising that effective resource allocation ensures initiatives are adequately funded and properly executed to deliver real value to the public, he urged participants to manage public funds prudently and prioritise projects that yield measurable outcomes.

“We will explore how to optimize budgeting processes, improve financial oversight, and build systems that ensure transparency and accountability.

“This event has been structured with your professional development in mind, with sessions led by experts in the field, interactive discussions, and practical case studies that will provide you with actionable knowledge you can apply in your respective roles,” he concluded.

Highlighting the critical role of ICT, project, finance, and planning officers, Inuwa admonished participants to take full advantage of the program’s sessions, designed to strengthen their expertise in strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and financial management.

“Each of you plays a crucial role in the management and distribution of resources, the planning and implementation of programmes, and ultimately the delivery of services to our communities. Together, you form the backbone of efficient and transparent governance,” he concluded


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