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ICT Infrastructure Development. A Panacea for Implementing Nigerian ICT4D Plan By Yusuf Z Kazaure Group Head Education, Development and States Sectors Galaxy Backbone PLC. Introduction. ICT Infrastructure Development is a must if ICT4D Plan is to successfully implemented
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ICT Infrastructure Development A Panacea for Implementing Nigerian ICT4D Plan By Yusuf Z Kazaure Group Head Education, Development and States Sectors Galaxy Backbone PLC
Introduction • ICT Infrastructure Development is a must if ICT4D Plan is to successfully implemented • Infrastructure disadvantage is the biggest challenge to leveraging ICT for development purposes in Africa • Infrastructure Development should be strategic and systematic so as to achieve more, with less spent
State of ICT Infrastructure in Nigeria • Limited intra-connectivity • Concentrated in urban areas • Large swaths of underserved areas • Few datacenters – for local content hosting • Limited Internet Bandwidth
Impact of Limited ICT Infrastructure • Limited local content development • Lack of context-specific development content • Underdeveloped ICT economy • Huge barrier to entry for ICT solutions • High Cost of Access • Poor quality of service delivery
ICT Infrastructure Development: Opportunities • Galaxy Backbone • Government’s ICT Infrastructure Provider • Acts as an intervention for underserved areas • More needs to be done to empower Galaxy with resources • SABI – State Accelerated Broadband Initiative • Supported and funded by NCC • Committed to spreading broadband access across the country • Telecom Operator Rollouts • Mobile operators rolling out nationwide networks in response to Market Demands • New Satellite Technologies – e.g 03B • Making it easier to reach rural areas with broadband
ICT Infrastructure Development: What Needs to be Done • Develop ICT Infrastructure plan focused on: • Maximizing in-country interconnection among infrastructure operators • Enhancing the capacity for local content hosting • Expanding ICT infrastructure coverage to include rural areas • Government Intervention Needed: • More funding of already existing interventions • Commitment to universal access
Conclusion • Accelerated ICT infrastructure development is required if ICT4D objectives is to be achieved • There are current efforts to improve National ICT infrastructure base driven both by the private sector and Government • These efforts need to be coordinated and guided by a National ICT Infrastructure plan designed to maximize the impact of such efforts on ICT4D goals • More Government intervention is required to address Market Gaps. 1GOV.net Overview