The Federal Government’s Project 774 LG Connectivity underway to connect Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria will aid the delivery of government’s services to the grassroots, Nigeria’s Technology Minister and CEO of the government-owned satellite company say.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, said in a project update video posted on X that Project 774 LG Connectivity is an initiative aimed at addressing limited internet and digital access by connecting all 774 Local Government secretariats across Nigeria to the internet. The project aims to enhance digital infrastructure in these secretariats, ensuring reliable internet access, especially in underserved areas.
According to the Minister, “what we have done is actually leverage our existing investments because it is the satellite that we own. We are the only country in West Africa with a satellite, and we have started using that satellite to offer internet services to the secretariat. We have done the first pilot of the project and have already seen some of these locations being connected.”
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
Minister: Project 774 LG Connectivity leverages Nigeria’s satellite
Project 774 LG Connectivity, launched by the Minister on February 19, 2024, aims to foster inclusive development and improve access to digital public infrastructure in government offices across Nigeria, including remote areas that may have been previously underserved or unserved.
“Project 774,” Tijani says, “is focused on providing connectivity to local government secretariats, because if you remember, the closest form of government to our people are the local government secretariats, where people go for birth, death, and marriage registration. They play a crucial role in citizen-government interactions. However, many of these locations are not connected. What you would find is a disconnection not only from where the services are being provided, but also from the people who manage the services centrally, whether at the state level or the federal level.”
According to the Minister, “what we have done is actually leverage our existing investments because it is the satellite that we own. We are the only country in West Africa with a satellite, and we have started using that satellite to offer internet services to the secretariat. We have done the first pilot of the project and have already seen some of these locations being connected.”
On her part, Dr. Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idehen, CEO of Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), adds that “when Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, came up with this marvelous idea to ensure we meet our mandate of providing digital services not only to the unreached but also to untapped areas, beginning with the key of the nation, which is the local government, it became clear that it would take more than one agency to accomplish this. We are glad and fortunate to see the collaboration that has happened to execute that, with agencies like NIGCOMSAT, NITDA, and Galaxy Backbone all working together to deliver this mandate.”
The NIGCOMSAT CEO adds that “we want to provide connectivity as mandated by the President in unserved and unreached areas, starting from our local government areas, and we are doing this by ensuring that each local government has internet connectivity. We have already started, which is great, and one of the greatest things I have seen is the faces of our citizens light up once they see this internet connectivity in their location.”
Project 774 LG Connectivity utilises Nigeria’s satellite capabilities, uniquely positioning the country to provide internet services to remote and difficult-to-reach locations in West Africa. The ongoing initiative has already connected several previously isolated secretariats, demonstrating its potential to enhance digital inclusion nationwide, according to the Minister.
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