Nigeria ranked 11th in global internet penetration
By Patience Ikpeme
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta, has revealed that Nigeria is now ranked eleventh globally in terms of internet penetration and seventh in mobile phone usage.
He described Nigeria as a telecommunications powerhouse with 82% of Africa’s telecoms subscribers and 29% of its internet consumption.
However, he lamented that despite these impressive metrics, Nigeria’s ranking on the Network Readiness Index (NRI) was not satisfactory.
The NRI measures the role and impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) across four categories: technology infrastructure, governance, people, and impact. In this regard, Nigeria ranks 109th out of 131 countries surveyed.
Danbatta urged stakeholders to prioritize network readiness by embracing innovation, making strategic investments and cultivating a growth-friendly ecosystem.
He emphasized that ongoing network surveillance and expansion were necessary due to the surge in data utilization, proliferation of Internet-of-Things (IoT), advent of artificial intelligence (AI), among others.
To upscale industry performance to meet citizens’ expectations would require more investment even though remarkable growth has been achieved over two decades past; hence there is an urgent need for further investment to keep up with emerging technologies’ pace.
In conclusion, Danbatta said that the Emerging Technology Forum provides an opportunity for thought-provoking discussions where renowned professionals in technology can share their resources through presentations or collaborative exchanges towards achieving their vision for a fully interconnected telecommunications-driven Nigeria.
