Despite the burgeoning improvements in Nigeria’s mobile landscape, Internet usage is rising at a snail speed, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations can now reveal.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek findings also showed that there are only 8 million Internet users and a little over 550 broadband internet subscribers underscoring the untapped nature of the market.
Mobile phone lines is put at over 55 million but official figures expected at seventh year anniversary of mobile revolution will be a little above 60 million.
Low level infrastructure development, poor funding, lack of adequate indigenous ICT expertise, fraudulent practices, quack practitioners, poor policy framework are some of the reasons why Internet usage has remained at all time low in the country.
Lanre Ajayi, president, Nigeria Internet Group (Nig), blamed the dearth of infrastructure and cost of acquisition for the poor internet access and urged government to provide necessary infrastructure as well as incentives or subsidies to attract operators.
Internet which holds a lot of hope for development all over the world is still considered a luxury in Nigeria where access has remained all time low.
The average internet penetration among the population in Africa is 4.7%. The world total is 20% (Europe and North America have 43.4% and 71.1% respectively).
Worldwide an estimated 5.2 billion people are not using the Internet.
Broadband penetration, however, is much lower at a mere 0.1% with broadband connections restricted to major companies, schools and authorities.
Kalu Ndukwe, president of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (Nira) said that the cost of Internet access is a major determinant of its affordability and urged a review of the entry barrier.
He believes that one of the initiatives to address the situation is State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (Sabi) being promoted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
But the key to growing access to the internet is promotion of local content purposely designed for use by people in local languages and under local conditions.
The issue of affordability through the development of low cost, low energy, open up access to research and development and standards for IT education, profession and practice need to be set up and enforced.
