Shittu, Comms. Minister, Others for A4AI Nigeria Coalition Meeting

Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)-Nigeria Coalition has named Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications as the special guest of honour for its meeting holding tomorrow, November 24.

Shittu will join industry heavy weights including Omobola Johnson, former minister of Communication Technology; and Ernest Ndukwe, former executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to discuss ongoing efforts to reduce broadband prices in the country, and to deliberate best practices for overcoming key obstacles to improved affordability.

Ndukwe, who currently serves as the national coordinator for the A4AI-Nigeria Coalition, said that “The A4AI-Nigeria Coalition has been hard at work since March 2014 debating the primary barriers to increased Internet access and affordability in Nigeria and the best ways to overcome these challenges. We have worked with the Federal Ministry of Communications and Nigerian Communications Commission to monitor TV white spaces trials and develop appropriate policy recommendations; drafted a document that spells out the benefits of the Internet to sensitise users and non-users; and developed policy recommendations to improve infrastructure sharing and the use of open access across Nigeria.

The A4AI-Nigeria Coalition comprises over 100 stakeholders from across Nigeria’s public, private, and civil society sectors, who are working together to tackle barriers to affordability in Nigeria, including pricing transparency, infrastructure sharing, and consumer awareness.

This meeting will mark the group’s third since the Coalition was formed in March 2014, and will be opened by Dr Omobola Johnson, who was recently appointed Honorary Chairperson of A4AI.

Remarking on the upcoming gathering, Dr Johnson said: “This meeting will offer us a concrete opportunity to assess the progress the Coalition has made over the past year and a half, and to decide on priorities for moving forward the affordability agenda. The Internet – and the access to information and services that comes with it - has quickly become a key component of everyday life in many countries, and the importance of expanding access to affordable broadband so that all Nigeria’s citizens can come online cannot be overstated. I look forward to working with the A4AI-Nigeria Coalition to ensure that we develop and advocate for the policies needed to ensure Internet for all.”

Dr Ndukwe added: “Yet much work remains to make affordable Internet across Nigeria a reality. This meeting will allow us the unique opportunity to assess our progress to date, and to determine priorities and next steps for our work going forward. We look forward to sharing our conclusions with you after the meeting, and to continuing our work toward the important goal of universal access.”

Low levels of affordability remain a significant barrier to Internet and broadband access in Nigeria, where just over 42% of citizens are online. A recent study by A4AI – the world’s broadest technology sector coalition working to bring down the price of broadband – revealed that Nigeria does not meet the UN target of entry-level broadband priced at 5% or less of average income for those living in poverty.