Maduako Igbokwe l Tuesday, April 13, 2021
ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – Stakeholders in Information and Communication Technology ICT have commended Anambra State governor Chief Willie Obiano for investing and engendering a highly favourable Right of Way(RoW) regime in the state .
The stakeholders also applauded Obiano for being the first state governor in the South-East of Nigeria to implement a N0.00 per linear meter RoW charges, which is lower than the N145 per linear meter recommended by the National Economic Council.
They also praised the government for the decisions in waiving the RoW charges and organising the first broadband stakeholders conference by any state in Nigeria. The Stakeholders also said they are looking forward enthusiastically to the rollout of the Anambra State Urban Regeneration Initiatives, especially in the area of e-Security, e-Commerce, e-Government, e-Education, and e-Health.
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Anambra State had last month organised a Broadband Stakeholders’ Conference to rally stakeholders and investors to its readiness and willingness to expand broadband infrastructure for accelerated socio-economic development of the State.
The conference, which had the theme “Facilitating Broadband Access Through a Favourable Right of Way Regime”, was coordinated by the State’s Physical Planning Board.
The conference came on the heels of Federal Government’s launch of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030 and the New National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, where it appealed to states to take urgent and concrete steps to domesticate the Policy and Plan, as well as attendant regulatory instruments and programmes.
During the conference, the stakeholders strongly recommended that access to broadband was a major factor to catalyse economic growth through productivity while legal experts at the conference canvassed the need for legal intervention.
They also made strong submission for planning legislation, organisation of installation, development and maintenance of infrastructure in the implementation of digital access. According to stakeholders ,the Anambra Physical Planning Law of 2013 does not contain a ‘Dig Once’ policy which requires amendment.
“Anambra State also need to be guided by the recommendations in the UK Prosperity Fund in-country study 2020 with respect to site approvals, clarity in chargeable fees, clear timelines for approvals, centralized authorisation process through an establishment of a One-Stop Shop for broadband infrastructure issues, uniformity in processes governing approvals, and better perception of telecom operators as partners rather than cash cows to be exploited. In other words, a Smart Anambra requires a more progressive legal and regulatory regime to be birthed” they added .
However, participants also noted as positive development, the creation of an e-Planning Platform; implementation of online payments and integration with Anambra State Internal Revenue Service central billing system; a digital, independent complaint mechanism for construction permit issues; reduction of approval of permits from 3 or more weeks to 5 days or LESS; Digitally verifiable construction and planning permits; and the fact that Nigeria moved up 15 places in 2020 on the world Ease of Doing business in the state ,noting that Anambra is listed in the top 5 performing states.
“It is also heart-warming that Anambra state already aligned with Nigerian e-Government Masterplan (2019), the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020 – 2025), the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020 – 2030), and the fact that Anambra state is the first state in the South-East Nigeria to implement a N0.00 per linear meter RoW charges, which is lower than the N145 per linear meter recommended by the National Economic Council.
“Stakeholders particularly took conscious note of the assurances of the Government of Anambra State as enunciated in the keynote presentation by the Governor, which include creation of A one-stop shop for the grant of all permits and approvals, certainty of fees and documentation requirements, expedited and transparent approval processes, and accessible channels through which disputes can be easily resolved”, they said .
The conference attracted stakeholders from across Nigeria and the globe ,they include the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Alhaji Isa Ali Pantami ,Government of the United Kingdom, represented by British High commissioner to Nigeria , Mr. Catriona Laing , Nigerian Communications Commission, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) , the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), represented by its chairman ,Engr. Gbenga Adebayo Government of Anambra State and its agencies , most visibly Anambra State Physical Planning Board (ANSPPB) which organised the event, and a companion frontline agency – the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), the Greenfields Law, Crestsage Limited, Governments of other states in the South East Region, Facebook, Alliance for Affordable Internet, stakeholders in the telecom ecosystem, development enthusiasts and citizens, as well as journalists and other specialised communication professionals.
According to the Honourable Minister Isa Ali Pantami ,the Conference was timely and apt ,noting that it was commendable and deserving of emulation by other states , because Anambra has established itself as a key player in the Nigerian digital economy sphere.
He said the digital component of the current global economy is about 25 percent, and given the huge promises of digital economy in terms of sustainable jobs, sustainable economic growth and higher living standards.
He said the Federal Government is focused on achieving “data download speeds across Nigeria at a minimum of 25Mbps in urban areas, and 10Mbps in rural areas, with effective coverage available to at least 90% of the population and penetration rate of 70% by 2025 at a price not more than N390 per 1GB of data (2% of median income or 1% of minimum wage)” as captured in the NNBP 2020-2025.
The Government of the United Kingdom, through the UK Government Prosperity Fund for Digital Access, representrd by Catriona Laing expressed satisfaction with the focus of Nigeria’s digital economy policy, economic sustainability plan and the broadband policy, and particularly glad that Anambra is taking this issue seriously.
“The current Pandemic has shown the significance of digital economy towards enhancing communication, education and commerce. The British Government indicated readiness, as already demonstrated, to partner stakeholders in Nigeria to strengthen connectivity, inclusion, and cyber security. The UK–Nigeria technological hub is set to help to enhance entrepreneurial skills and network populations in order to create jobs and address digital inequality” Laing said .
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) strongly advised Anambra state governments to provide telecommunications infrastructure such as ducts as they plan their cities and towns.
As a component of a digital economy, the NCC stated that, well-planned cities will open new revenue streams for government, safeguards roads, water pipes, bridges and other infrastructure from unnecessary destruction and re-adjustments to fit-in additional infrastructure in the future.
The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of the mobile network operators in Nigeria, represented by Gbenga Adebayo welcomed the waiving of the RoW charges and expressed willingness to partner with Anambra for social and commercial investment provided the State Government goes beyond the RoW to address other issues that discourage operators from investing in the State, many of which are largely environmental factors.
The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) noted that fibre infrastructure is of tremendous benefits to the citizens but appropriate market research focused on demand must be undertaken to ensure that corresponding services ride on the heels of the provision of infrastructure in order to secure the right kind of investments to encourage all state governments to embrace full digitization of their services.
According to ATCON, administrative services, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, judiciary, education, security, and so on and smart city services across all sectors must be included .
International Internet advocacy group, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), represented by Olusola Teniola said they were excited about the vision of Anambra State Government because of the promise of ubiquitous, functional fibre infrastructure for socioeconomic activities in the host communities.
According to him, A4AI looks forward to collaboration and inclusion of host communities in the broadband planning in ways that enable communities to participate as key stakeholders.
” The Alliance will expect the Government to identify roles the host communities could play in ensuring speedy and optimal roll out of fibre infrastructure, and perhaps, also in the security of such critical assets” it stated .
The Executive chairman of Anambra state physical planning board (ANSPPB) Barr. Chike Maduekwe who coordinated the conference said the purpose of clarity and better understanding of broadband is like the expressway, noting that it is the highway of information and communications.
He said the volume of goods an entity is able to move can determine its wealth, the volume and rate information (text, speech, sounds, static or motion images) can be transferred and received can shape prosperity.
According to him, Broadband penetration (through laying of additional fibre or other wireless form of making broadband available) is similar to the expansion of express roads into the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.
” The availability of broadband, will enable people to have access to information they require to improve the quality of life, through participating in online economic activities, learning new skills, be more enlightened to participate in governance and for government to be able to provide public online services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has proved that lives can be disrupted at any time and one way to survive disruptions of physical lifestyles is to migrate activities to online platforms to reduce the impact of disruptions. It is because schooling, seeking medical attention and trading can be done online that we are largely able to survive the pandemic, and it is the totality of all these online activities and transactions that is called digital economy” he said
