Nigeria and the Digital Divide

For a country already suffering from grave socio-economic inequalities, harnessing technology may not translate positively for Nigeria’s future if active steps are not taken to address the digital divide.

Written by Osivue Itseumah

Nov 29, 2019

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Earlier this year, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), among its efforts to bridge Nigeria’s current digital divide, granted a permit to Avanti Communications Group, a UK-based satellite firm, to provide commercial satellite communication services in Nigeria. Austin Nwaulune, the Commission’s Director of Spectrum Administration, explained that Avanti’s services would encourage local operators to provide Internet services to unserved and underserved areas of the country and mitigate the effects of unequal access to information and communication technology (ICT).

In Nigeria, this unequal access to information and technology is a multifaceted issue that hinders human productivity and stifles macroeconomic growth. The division that ensues as a result of this inequality of access requires unique policymaking and strategic government intervention to bridge. The NCC categorizes ICTs into four groups. These are: Mobile (GSM), Mobile (CDMA), Fixed/Wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Although subscription to telecommunication services has been on the rise, access to communication technologies remains unequal. According to the NCC, in December 2018, telecommunication subscriptions in Nigeria stood at nearly 173 million, a 19 per cent increase from the year before. In comparison to this high teledensity, broadband penetration stood at a meagre 31.48 per cent as of December 2018. While these trends may not directly highlight unequal access to broadband, they are indicative of an infrastructural challenge that makes broadband connectivity more accessible to some Nigerians over others.

There are multiple issues that can explain the disparity in access to communication technologies. These include the cost barrier of purchasing digital hardware and subscribing to the Internet, as well as the location of consumers (urban or rural). Unequal access, as later sections show, could also be linked to local attitudes and responsiveness to digital technology. Ultimately, high costs and insufficient capacity have eliminated millions of consumers from participating in the knowledge economy.

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About the Author

Osivue Itseumah

is a freelance writer and Senior Policy Advisor at the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure based in Toronto with a keen interest in public policy, government and sports.

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Nigeria and the Digital Divide