The Worldwide Telecommunications Union (ITU) has chosen Nigeria and 10 different nations as beneficiaries of a €15 million broadband mapping initiative geared toward accelerating digital transformation in Africa.
The worldwide telecommunications physique introduced this on Thursday throughout the World Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) in Kampala, Uganda. Different nations that can profit from the initiative embrace Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
“The Africa Nationwide Broadband Mapping Programs (AfricaBBMaps) venture, supported by the European Fee, will assist set up broadband mapping programs to foster funding and digital transformation in Africa. With a funds of EUR 15 million over 4 years, the venture will initially profit 11 nations,” an announcement from the ITU learn.
Why broadband mapping?
In accordance with the ITU, broadband mapping is a prerequisite for funding in sustainable, inclusive broadband infrastructure that leaves nobody behind.
It added that the AfricaBBMaps goals to determine broadband mapping programs which are able to producing available validated information to determine web connectivity gaps in protection, high quality, and affordability in beneficiary nations.
That is anticipated to allow data-driven decision-making for investments in digital infrastructure, promising a brighter future for ICT within the chosen nations
Vladimir Daigele, a community improvement skilled on the Worldwide Telecommunication Union (ITU), describes mapping as “essential to know the fact in a spot, because it permits completely different stakeholders to return collectively and plan optimum community applied sciences and financing options.”
The number of Nigeria as one of many beneficiaries of the AfrcaBBMaps comes as a lift to the nation’s broadband quest by way of the continued implementation of the Nigeria Nationwide Broadband Aircraft (NNBP 2020-2025).
Underneath the Plan, the nation units an formidable goal of attaining 70% broadband penetration by 2025. Nonetheless, attaining this goal is already proving troublesome because of lack of enough funding in infrastructure, leaving the nation 43% penetration as of March 2024.
New tips for ICT
In the meantime, the ITU acknowledged that ICT regulators that participated on the GSR-24 which got here to an in depth on Thursday, have endorsed a set of tips to maximise the advantages of transformative data and communication applied sciences (ICTs).
In accordance with the physique, the “GSR-24 Finest Apply Tips” agreed by ICT regulators embrace a sequence of issues for balancing innovation with regulation to create a constructive affect on societies and economies from rising applied sciences corresponding to synthetic intelligence (AI).
“With one-third of humanity nonetheless offline and ladies and different susceptible {groups} on the fallacious facet of the globe’s digital divides, GSR-24, and the Finest Apply Tips spotlight the innovation, belief, and inclusivity that we want within the coverage and regulatory atmosphere,” stated ITU Secretary-Normal Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
“With change being the one certainty dealing with regulators and policymakers, we should work collectively to pursue regulatory approaches to leverage transformative applied sciences corresponding to AI, promote the house financial system, encourage innovation, and assist local weather motion and the UN Sustainable Growth Objectives,” she added.
What you must know
Organized by the ITU, the UN Company for Digital Applied sciences – the symposium introduced collectively over 600 contributors together with Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, business executives, and lecturers to debate urgent regulatory points.
Nigeria was represented on the symposium by the Government Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida.
