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Telecom Forum Speakers Harp On Accessible Broadband

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12 years ago

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Speakers at the ongoing
11th Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) Forum last Monday in Abuja, stressed the need to make broadband accessible and affordable to all.
Our correspondent reports that the theme of the 11th CTO Forum and 53rd Council Meeting is “‘Innovation Through Broadband”.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Arch. Namadi Sambo at the forum said that it was for the reasons of accessibility and affordability that the Federal Government approved the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018.
Represented by the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, Sambo said that the plan is aimed at realising 80 per cent broadband penetration by 2018.
According to him, with the level of broadband available in the country, millions of people now have access to mobile phones.
He said that the future would be interesting with broadband being available across the countries.
Johnson in her remarks, as Communications Technology Minister, said that though global internet rate had continued to increase, only 40 per cent of the world’s population was already on the internet.
Omobola said that internet penetration was increasing faster among the youth, as they easily adapt to innovations.
She said that the ministry was working at ensuring that Nigerians communicate freely and in an affordable manner.
Dr Eugene Juwah, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said that the commission had already identified the bright skyline of broadband. Juwah said that the effect of broadband was noticeable in 11 years of the country’s telecoms revolution.
He said that there had been huge deployments and take up of voice-based services, which had pushed the country’s teledensity above 81 per cent, as at July 2013.
According to him, the CTO forum will enrich the country’s broadband plan and other initiatives that will assist in the speedy implementation of the country’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programmes and actions.
The Secretary-General of CTO, Prof. Tim Unwin said that there was the need to develop new models that would facilitate access to broadband.
Unwin said that more efforts should be geared toward ensuring that women and children gain access to broadband, since they represent majority of the world’s population.
He said that there should be a multi-stakeholders participation for the deployment of broadband in Nigeria.
The CTO scribe said that the deployment of broadband across the country was not something to be left for the government or private sector alone.
According to him, broadband helps to open many opportunities in life and create better solutions for the economy.
He said that the government and the private sector should collaborate to ensure that the benefits of broadband for all

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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