The broadband investment
in Nigeria is expected to attract an estimated $10 billion, about N199,049,736,557.67
in the next five years to engender the kind of growth expected, reports
ITRealms.
This indication was
given by the Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) , Ms. Josephine Amuwa, at the
recently-concluded ITU Telecom World 2015 in Budapest, Hungary.
This project to be
driven by the private sector, she said, was reaffirmed by the
KPMG, which consulted
for the Commission on the national broadband project.
“If KPMG says we need an
annual investment of $2 billion over the next five years to build a national
next-gen broadband network, that is, a report, which is good for the
industry anyway. But as you know, Nigeria is private sector-driven and
government has taken out its hands from doing what private sector should do,”
she said.
Amuwa also said that with
the KPMG estimated investment, Nigeria private sector need to provide the money
for any investment while government provides the enabling environment.
“It is the private
sector players that will drive the investment,” she said, stressing that what the
Federal Government through NCC would do is to ensure provision of and
sustaining improved and friendly regulatory regime for their investment to
offer them better Returns on Investment (ROI) and value to the final consumers.
Also, Amuwa explained
that there was a need for existing operators to continue to invest in the
market, especially to build better broadband infrastructure.
“They cannot afford not
to invest by folding their arms, otherwise, other new players will come in and
invest in those areas and move ahead of them,” she said.
As such, he said “the $2
billion annual investment that KPMG is referring to is not just one person; it
is the totality of the investment that would be needed and it is going to be
driven solely by the private sector.”
Amuwa further explained that KPMG is not a permanent consultants to the regulators, stressing
that every project done by the NCC is carried out in line with the Public
Procurement Act.
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