National 5G Policy, a Catalyst for Smart Cities, Digital Economy

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari has said the National 5G Policy will position Nigeria to harness the potentials of 5G technologies to further develop the economy and improve the indices of well-being in the nation.

The President made this charge during the unveiling the National Policy on 5G Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy in Abuja.

Speaking at the launch, Buhari noted that the Digital Economy sector has had a significant positive impact on our overall economy and this was quite evident as we put measures in place to counter the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

Recall, the National Policy on 5G Networks was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the 8th of September 2021 after a series of trials and multi-stakeholder engagements that eliminated perceived health risks.

In his words, the approval of the Policy is in line with the commitment of this administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler for the diversification of our national economy.

“The National 5G Policy includes a deployment plan to ensure that major cities across the country benefit from the technologies. It also seeks to make 5G a major driver of our economy, a catalyst for smart cities in the country and a platform for the creation of jobs that support our digital economy. We assure investors that we will continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to be very successful as we roll-out this technology.

Worthy of note, the President said the National 5G Policy will position Nigeria to harness the potentials of 5G technologies to further develop the economy and improve the indices of well-being in the nation

“5G technologies offer a number of benefits that can support virtually every sector of our economy. For instance, it can enhance connectivity, improve healthcare, support education, foster smart cities and boost agriculture, among other advantages that it gives. It will also support security institutions with real time communication.

“5G technology is significantly faster than earlier digital technologies and it provides near real-time communication. This can play a key role in boosting our efforts towards enhancing security across the nation. It will enable our security institutions to effectively deploy robotics, autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality to address any security challenges that we face. To this end, I hereby direct all the security institutions to immediately leverage 5G when deployed in order to beef up security in the country.

“The National 5G Policy includes a deployment plan to ensure that major cities across the country benefit from the technologies. It also seeks to make 5G a major driver of our economy, a catalyst for smart cities in the country and a platform for the creation of jobs that support our digital economy. We assure investors that we will continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to be very successful as we roll-out this technology.

Also Speaking, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) said that the deployment of fifth generation (5G) network, “will play a vital role in improving the security situation in the country”.

The Minister in his presentation to the President, maintained that that “5G network is a viable platform for security institutions to leverage on, in tackling the security challenges that have bedevilled the country, by harnessing the potential of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Robotics etc. which explore real-time information for maximum efficiency.”

He further disclosed that the “5G Network will enhance transparency and economic development as its potential for job creation is unprecedented.”

The Minister, who expressed gratitude to the President for the immense support enjoyed by the Digital Economy sector, also disclosed that the National Policy on 5G will achieve numerous goals, including the security of the ecosystem and the protection of data, ensuring that international best practice and globally accepted standards and specifications are entrenched in Nigeria’s ecosystem.
According to him, the formal launch of the 5G Network in Nigeria today is in furtherance of the Federal Government’s commitment to develop a thriving digital economy.