The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has announced that 11 states have waived Right of Way (RoW) charges to facilitate broadband infrastructure expansion.
This development was revealed after President Bola Tinubu received the Digital Economy report from participants of Senior Executive Course 46 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.
The research proposed that the Federal Governmentnt encourage states to forego RoW fees while developing telecom infrastructure.
Tijani responded, “11 states have done that,” and expressed confidence that all states would join this plan by the end of the administration’s second year.
RoW fees are payments telecom operators make to state governments for permission to install infrastructure like fiber optic cables.
Inconsistent fees across states have previously hindered investments, leading to subpar internet services.
Prior to this announcement, seven states, Zamfara, Katsina, Anambra, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Bauchi, and Adamawa had waived these charges.
The report also suggested that the President issue an Executive Order mandating all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to migrate to the OneGov.ng portal.
Other recommendations included adopting a Quintuple-Helix Model to promote the digital economy, youth empowerment, and sustainable job creation, promoting long-term funding for the 3MTT scheme, accelerating the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, establishing Digital Health Innovation Hubs nationwide and developing a preventive maintenance application for the automotive industry.
Addressing these recommendations, Tijani noted that Nigeria is on track to be among the first African countries to fully migrate from IPv4 to IPv6.
He also highlighted a $2 billion federal investment approved in 2024 to deploy 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, aiming for nationwide broadband coverage.
This project is set to establish the third-longest fiber network in Africa, following South Africa and Egypt, with significant progress made and a $500 million commitment secured from the World Bank.
In response to the report, President Tinubu directed the Minister to collaborate with relevant parties to present the recommendations to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of the Civil Service for streamlined implementation.
Emphasizing youth empowerment through innovation and digital skills development, President Tinubu stated, “At the core of our administration is youth empowerment. We cannot relent on that, and we need everyone’s collaboration.”
He further acknowledged the thoroughness of the report, expressing intent to continue engaging the Institute as a resource center and think tank.
“I have carefully considered your advice and the detailed job you completed. “We will continue to use the Institute as a resource centre and think tank,” Tinubu stated.
He also mentioned the overlap of several government agencies, saying, “As Nigeria’s foremost policy think-tank, you have highlighted the overlap of some government agencies, and we’ll look into that.”
