Broadband Access: Pantami Announces SpaceX Partnership at US-AFRICA Leaders’ Forum

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has announced partnership with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to provide broadband access across the whole of Nigeria.

It is coming shortly after signing the Artemis Accords on behalf of Nigeria, to signal Nigeria’s participation in the next phase of space exploration to be coordinated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

These two events took place at the ongoing US-Africa Leaders’ Forum (USALF), taking place in Washington DC, United States of America. The Summit is hosted by President Joe Biden of the United States and brought together leaders from across Africa.

The Minister announced Nigeria’s partnership with SpaceX, having approved their application as a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Operator in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.

As part of the partnership, SpaceX is to provide broadband access across the whole of Nigeria, enabling nation-wide access to broadband connectivity way ahead of the December 2025 schedule, as outlined in our National Broadband Plan.

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With this collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink, Nigeria is set to be the 1st African country to introduce the service. The nation-wide rollout shall take place before the end of 2022, after conclusion of a few administrative processes.  The announcement was made at the US-Space Forum, where Professor Pantami also served as a speaker.

The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, under Professor Pantami’s leadership, will continue its committed implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to ensure that Nigeria’s digital economy remains a leading light, both in Africa and across the globe.