The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) has disclosed that it facilitated the connection of about 200 rural communities to the internet between January and August this year as part of its sustained efforts to deepen internet connectivity across the geopolitical zones in the country.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT, Mrs. Jane Egerton-Idehen, who gave this hint on Monday during her keynote address at a one-day media training for ICT reporters and editors in Abuja, said the agency had been working with mobile network operators to extend basic connectivity to hard-to-reach communities across the country.
Represented at the forum by the agency’s Executive Director, Technical Services, Abiodun Attah the CEO said that within the last eight or nine months, NIGCOMSAT had succeeded in connecting about 200 communities on 2G and 3G technologies with some major mobile network operators.
According to her, the initiativesis part of a broader initiative to ensure that all 774 local government areas across Nigeria have access to reliable connectivity before the end of 2026.
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Egerton-Idehen said: “Our target for the end of next year is to have completed the entire 774 project by connecting all local government areas. Every Nigerian, regardless of location, deserves to be connected.”
She disclosed that apart from the initial 200 communities connected to the Internet by NIGCOMSAT, the next phase of rollout would target about 120 local governments before the end of this year.
While harping on the importance of satellites as critical national assets, she pointed out that beyond enabling internet connectivity, satellites also help in essential services delivery in education, healthcare, commerce, governance, and national security and used global conflicts where satellites played pivotal roles to support her claims.
The NIGCOMSAT boss maintained that Nigeria must protect and expand its own satellite assets to avoid dependence on foreign powers.
She cautioned: “If we don’t have that critical national asset and protect it, we risk being cut off completely from communication.”
Egerton-Idehen, who listed some of the challenges facing the agency as including limited funding and equipment gaps, however, assured that NIGCOMSAT was determined to work within its means to expand coverage.
She also stressed that Nigeria remained not just a consumer of technology but a contributor to the global digital market, describing the growth of the nation’s ICT sector as one of the fastest in Africa.
To improve Nigeria’s performance in the ICT sector, Egerton-Idehen canvassed the need for collective efforts to unlock the sector’s full potential through stronger partnerships, informed policies, and accurate reportage of the emerging developments
