On the 28th of November, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 and expanded the mandate of the then Ministry of Communications to include Digital Economy, under the able leadership of Prof. Isa Ali Pantami.
This was done to underscore the importance of a digital economy for the country and to also expedite the achievement of an effective and sustainable digital economy for the country. To achieve the intentions of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, 8 pillars for success were developed. They include: Development Regulations; Digital Literacy; Skill Development; Solid Infrastructure; Service Infrastructure; Soft Infrastructure; Digital Societies and Emerging Technologies, as well as Indigenous Development.
Successes
Since the launch of NDEPS and rebranding of the ministry, the digital economy sector has continued to play a critical role in the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
For instance, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) earlier in the year, showed that the Information and Communication (ICT) sector contributed 18.44% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter of 2022.
Reacting to the unprecedented achievement, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, said that the growing contribution of the sector to the GDP was a result of the commitment of the current administration to the development of the digital economy.
He said that the unprecedented contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP can also be attributed to the dynamic and results-oriented leadership of the sector.
He, however, said that the report had shown how critical the ICT sector was to the growth of the country’s digital economy and, by extension, the general economy.
“The diligent implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, stakeholder engagement, and creation of an enabling environment have all played an important role in this achievement.
“The support of President Muhammadu Buhari has contributed immensely to the impressive developments in the sector.
“The unprecedented contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP can also be attributed to the dynamic and results-oriented leadership of the sector,” he said.
Galaxy Backbone
Meanwhile, at the base of the growth and milestones achieved by the ICT is the digital infrastructure provided by Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB): An integrated ICT services and solutions provider established in 2006 by the federal government of Nigeria.
There is no doubt that Galaxy Backbone is crucial to attainment of a virile digital economy. With continuing investments in cutting-edge technologies and global partnerships on best practices and technical exchanges, the Galaxy Backbone (GBB) is increasingly improving the efficiency, security and sustainability of its operations.
It has over the years positioned its digital infrastructure platform to enable private businesses and government establishments alike to power their operations in real-in time and on demand.
Galaxy Backbone commenced operations in 2007 and has since focused on improving and enhancing its service infrastructure in such a way that it consistently meets world-class standards in terms of its operations and management. Through the intervention of the federal government and a number of global partners, a lot of investment has been made in the area of enhancing and expanding this infrastructure not just at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where GBB has the largest fibre cable roll-out, but also across the country. Nationwide, it continues to lay fibre optic cables and build world-class data centres that aim to improve the Internet services of small businesses, government establishments and homes, while expanding broadband penetration and improving the standard of living of the people.
One of the core areas of focus for Galaxy Backbone, which the organisation has expanded and strengthened over the years, is in its network communications infrastructure that is capable of meeting the changing needs of its customers in the environment in which they find themselves. Its state-of-the-art Network Monitoring and Management Centre helps manage and control the connectivity and unified communications experience of its customers within the public sector.
Significantly, Galaxy Backbone built and operates a world class National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB), a cross-country optical fibre backbone. In its first phase, which has been completed, commissioned and covers a distance of 1484 km, the backbone spans 13 states across the South East, South South, North Central and South West of Nigeria with base stations installed in 22 cities.
The cities include; Abuja, Akwanga, Lafia, Makurdi, Ugbokolo, Enugu, Awka, Onitsha, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Eket, Uyo, Asaba, Benin, Ore, Ijebu Ode, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, and Plateau.
Services available on the infrastructure are internet bandwidth, clear channel, dark fiber, lastmile connectivity, video conferencing.The backbone currently has a monthly availability of 98%. Availability is expected to reach 99.9 at the end of phase 2.
Effective infrastructure
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Prof Muhammed Bello Abubakar while 2022 ICTEL Expo and Exhibition, put together by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce with the theme; “Ensuring Efficient Digital Infrastructure in Nigeria” , said Nigeria is creating effective and productive digital infrastructures that will power and propel its digital economy to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The digital world was accelerated in 2020 during the pandemic, so today we have a lot of transactions going into billions of dollars beginning and ending across different digital platforms and in that way, a lot of data is being generated. This data has to be securely stored somewhere and backed up as well to ensure and prevent unforeseen circumstances. Organisations must continue to devise innovative ways to store and back up their data to ensure business continuity.’’
He said Galaxy Backbone, the Digital Infrastructure and Shared Services Platform for public and private organisations, is playing an active role in the digital transformation journey of Nigeria.
He said: “We are proud of the investment and the work we have done and continue to do in ensuring that the backbone and network infrastructure that is powering Nigeria’s Digital Economy is secure, available and efficient.
“Our world-class Tier III Data Centre and soon-to-be-launched Tier IV Datacenter for Cloud and Disaster Recovery purposes is available for everyone and sometime later today, we will take a deep dive into its huge potential for Nigerian Small & Medium Size Businesses, Enterprises and the government’’.
One of the areas the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has recorded some commendable growth has been the enhancement of Nigeria’s digital economy, which continues to be executed under the visionary leadership of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.
GBB was created for the benefit of public institutions and private oranisations that would like to take advantage of its huge infrastructure across the nation. Consequently, a number of government establishments and private organisations now have, through the support and infrastructure Galaxy Backbone, provided, been able to create platforms that enable them to increase their revenue generation, contribute to the economic prosperity of the country and enhance the standard of living of the people. Through some of these platforms, citizens from across the country transact with the government in a transparent and efficient manner.
