More Debt For Nigeria, As FG
Seeks $100 Million
Broadband Loan From India
Nigeria's Minister of
Communications, Adebayo
Shittu
The Federal Government
has said it is working with
the Indian Government to
access $100 million
concessional loan to
develop Nigeria’s rural
broadband connectivity.
The Minister of
Communications, Mr
Adebayo Shittu, said
unveiled at the Indian
Technical and Economic
Cooperation (ITEC) Day held
in Abuja on Thursday night.
Shittu said that the loan to
be accessed would be part
of India’s 10 billion-dollar
concessional loans to
African countries for the
implementation of projects
of their national priority.
The minister said that the
rural broadband
connectivity in India
“inspired†his application
for the 100 million dollar-
loan for the project.
“Nigeria must be prepared
take advantage of the
available opportunities, one
of which is in the securing
of credit line for the
development of rural
backbone infrastructure.
“In India, as expansive as
the country is, every area
has sufficient broadband
connectivity; everybody has
access to online
connectivity.
“This is the opposite in
Nigeria. We have barely
exceeded the 30 per cent
connectivity rate.
“However, with this
initiative, I believe within
the next two months, we
will have the opportunity of
getting a credit line of
$100m from India to
develop rural infrastructure,
such that without electricity,
telecoms masts can
function, as masts to be
constructed via the credit
line funding will be
renewable based – that is
solar-based. “
He explained that Indian
companies would be the
installers of the equipment
“because it is their
technology that we will use
the credit line to acquireâ€.
Shittu, however, said the
timeline for the
implementation of the
project was yet to be
determined.
He further added that the
return of the loan would be
“ironed out†by the Ministry
of Finance and the Ministry
of Budget and National
Planning.
In his response, the Indian
High Commissioner to
Nigeria, Mr Abhay Thakur
told newsmen that the high
commission had received a
written project report from
Nigeria and would examine
it.
“We (Nigeria and India) are
working very closely on the
rural broadband network
project.
“India is deeply interested
because we genuinely have
a lot of expertise in the area
of broadband network
building, and reach to (the
Indian) masses.
“We will examine the
written report, and I am
sure very soon, we will be
in a position to tender out
the project under the India
Development Assistance,
which is a very attractive
soft loan funding for
Nigeria.â€
Thakur also said the pilot
phase of the project, if
considered, would start in
Oyo and would be further
carried out in the other 36
states.
He further expressed
optimism that the project
would lead to other spin-off
projects in the areas of IT
trainings and e-governance
to rural populations.
“This is something India
has achieved, and hope to
cooperate on with Nigeria
with the support of the
Nigerian government.â€
Speaking on the ITEC Day,
the high commissioner said
that 315 training slots in
the ITEC short-term
programme had been made
available for Nigeria in
2019.
He explained that this
included 100 training slots
under the India Africa
Forum Summit and 20
scholarships for
undergraduate, post-
graduate and higher
courses.
He said the high
commission also covered
Benin, Cameroon and Chad
in addition to Nigeria.
“This year we are offering
50 ITEC slots and five
degree scholarships to
Benin; 63 ITEC slots and
eight degree scholarships
to Cameroon; 20 ITEC slots
and eight degree
scholarships to Chad, and
five ITEC slots to ECOWAS.
“We give full details of these
slots because we want
every opportunity to be
utilised; we will like to see
100 per cent utilisation, so
we can increase the slots in
the next year.
“We are open to
nominations from all
Nigerian organisations.â€
At the third Africa-Indian
Forum in 2015, the Indian
Government announced
50,000 scholarships for
African students in India.
Since the second forum in
2011, more than 24,000
scholarships across 300
training courses conducted
at 60 training institutions in
India were utilised by
African nationals in diverse
areas.
The ITEC programme
instituted in Sept. 1964 is a
flagship programme of the
Indian government’s
capacity building efforts...
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