IT & Telecoms

Transforming Nigeria into a knowledge-based economy is the central goal of the government’s policy on ICT. Mobile use is the main means of access, with around 92m users, and numbers could grow significantly as other devices become available. While there are a number of opportunities to develop the Nigerian IT sector, the field is not without some challenges, including those arising from the lack of connected terrestrial infrastructure. These could be solved, however, thanks to significant investments being made in satellite technology and by telecoms operators in fibre-optic networks and base stations. Significant investments by all operators in their terrestrial infrastructure should bring about better coverage and quality of service, but these firms still face challenges in terms of power costs and security issues. This chapter contains an interview with Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman, Openmedia Group, and Director, Centre for Infrastructure, Policy, Regulation and Advancement, Lagos Business School.