Telecommunication
Infrastructure | Informatics
| ICT Training and
Development | Broadcasting/Media
Telecommunication Infrastructure
Telecommunication regulator:
The Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC) was established by decree in 1992 to create a regulatory
environment for the supply of telecommunications services and facilities, to facilitate
entry into the market of private entrepreneurs, and to promote fair competition and
efficient market conduct among all the players in the telecommunications sector. NCC is
responsible to the Ministry of Communications which is in charge of telecommunications
policy formulation and determination of broad strategic direction and management.
Telecommunication operator:
In January 1985, the erstwhile Post and Telecommunications Department was split into
Postal Division and Telecommunications Division. The latter was merged with the Nigerian
External Telecommunications Limited (NET) to form the Nigerian Telecommunications
Limited (NITEL), a limited liability company.
Teledensity:
- Total: 0.38
(1999)
- Largest cities:
1.10 (1999)
- Rest of the country:
0.29 (1999)
Digital main lines: 52.2%
(1999)
Waiting list for a
telephone line:
- Total: 42,000
(1999)
- Average waiting time:
4.2 years (1998)
- Total demand (k):
452.0 (1999)
- Satisfied demand (%):
90.7 (1999)
Telephone Tariffs:
| Connection charge PSTN |
US$
606.80 |
| Monthly rental PSTN -
Business |
US$
1.21 |
| Monthly rental PSTN -
Residential |
US$
0.61 |
| 3 minutes local call |
US$
0.02 |
| 1 minute trunk call
320 kms |
US$
0.11 |
| 1 minute call to USA |
US$
2.67 |
| Leased line 64
Kbps/month |
US$
10,500 |
Source: BMI
TechKnowledge Communication Technologies Handbook 1998
Public telephones: 1,600
(1999)
Public telephones per 1,000
inhabitants: 0.02 (1999)
Mobile cellular subscribers:
25,000 (1999)
There are two mobile cellular
telephony networks by Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and Mobile
Telecommunication Services Limited (MTS). The cellular mobile network by NITEL
covers three areas of the country, Lagos, Enugu and Abuja, with a capacity of 10,000
lines. MTS Ltd. operates a 5,000 cellular line capacity network based in Victoria land,
Lagos.
Cellular susbcribers as a % of
total telephone subscribers: 5.7 (1999)
Mobile cellular tariff: na
Telecommunications revenue (M
US$): 1,521.5 (1999)
Telecommunications investment (M
US$): 253.9 (1999)
Telecommunications investment as
a % of revenue: 25.2 (1999)
Telecom equipment exports (M
US$): 0.6 (1999)
Telecom equipment imports (M
US$): 50.3 (1999)
Telecentres: na
Facsimiles: na
Back
to Top
Informatics
The National Center for
Technology Management (NACATEM) at the Obafemi Awolowo University and the Yaba
College of Technology are the two major institutions involved in internetworking.
There are also a number of
networking initiatives in the country to interconnect all the research and academic
sector. The National Universities Council (NUC) has been supervising and
coordinating the activities of all universities in Nigeria. It has recently
launched the National Universities Network (NUNet) programme to
connect all the universities in a national academic network. The National Board
for Technical Education (NBTE), which has a statutory responsibility for ensuring
standards of education in polytechnics and technical colleges, has also a plan to
interconnect all the technical academic institutions.
The National Information
and Documentation Centre (NIDOC) was established by the National Library of
Nigeria as a Nigerian bibliographic and numerical databank of information for the social
and economic development of the country. As the focal point for the exchange of
information, NIDOC intends to co-ordinate a network of participating centres in Nigeria.
Its objectives are:
- Provision of active, dynamic
information services: information retrieval, current awareness and information
analysis/consolidation regarding published knowledge in harmony with the priorities of
Nigerian research and technological development.
- Provision of referral services with
a view to making best use of the information resources in the country and abroad.
HealthNet Nigeria has a node at the Postgraduate Institute for Medical Research and Training,
College of Medicine, University of Nigeria.
There are in Nigeria today more
than 500 Registered Computer companies, 200 of which are under the umbrella of the Microcomputer
Association of Nigeria (MIVAN) and their activities centre mainly on:
- Computer sales and maintenance
services
- Software Development and Information
buildings
- Computer Education and Training
- Word-processing and Bureau Services
- Marketing and Economic Research,
amongst others
This association was formed
around 1987 to promote informatics in Nigeria, especially computer literacy and usage. The
body whose operations are closely monitored by the Computer Association of Nigeria (COAN),
also functions to recommend prices for the sale of computers and allied products in
Nigeria; monitor the advancement and development of computer technology worldwide and
create a forum for the exchange of technological/technical information and ideas among
members of the association in particular and COAN members in general.
Computer per 100
inhabitants: 0.64 (1999)
Back to Top
ICT Training and Development
With the recommendations of the
committee on National Policy for Computer Education in Nigeria consisting
of eminent scholars and professionals in informatics, the Government of Nigeria launched
in 1988 a programme introducing computer literacy and education at the secondary
school to enable them acquire a level of knowledge about computers which would fit
them directly into the employment market or enable them to pursue courses in computer
science at higher levels. In this respect, a training package was recommended by the
committee for teachers, and computers have been installed in most of the Federal
Government Colleges (FGCs).
The National Universities
Commission (NUC) has played a major role in the success of the Computer Literacy
Programme in the universities. It has provided guidelines relating to the minimum hardware
and software environment for the Universities to enable them to effectively pursue the
computer literacy programme. Additionally, the Commission has been supporting the
development of curricula and programmes in the universities especially the new degree
programmes in computer science and engineering covering the Bachelors, Masters and
Doctorate degrees.
The computer literacy programmes at
the university level have, over the years, been directed at:
- establishing and entrenching a
computer culture that permeates all activities in the University;
- producing university graduates who
are considered computer literate irrespective of their course of studies or major
disciplines;
- producing Computer Science and
Engineering graduates who constitute the core of professionals in the practice and
advancement of Computer Technology;
- conducting research and developing
hardware, firmware, software, and course-ware that will enable the country to attain the
latest Computer Technology capability; and
- ensuring the provision of manpower
and other resources required to meet the broader objectives of computer literacy at the
tertiary, secondary and primary levels of education, and at the societal level.
Apart from the NUC, the National
Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has had the following specific roles to play
in the introduction of Computer Education in the institutions under its jurisdiction;
- integrating the curriculum for
computer literacy at the secondary and tertiary levels, into the programmes of
Polytechnics and Technical Colleges nation-wide.
- overseeing the development of
Computer Education programmes at the Colleges of Education and Polytechnics.
- monitoring the polytechnics and
Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) to ensure that they have incorporated tertiary
level computer literacy into their general studies programmes, and that they have acquired
adequate facilities for this.
- accrediting Computer Studies'
programmes at Technical Colleges level.
- developing syllabus for a Higher
National Diploma (HND) option in Computer Science and Technology immediately for adoption
by Polytechnics, and encourage the programme in Polytechnics.
- reviewing the Polytechnics' Computer
Science and Technology programmes periodically.
- promoting and funding adaptive
research in the polytechnics for the design, and development of computer hardware,
software and firmware, power systems, thin-film technology and printed circuit boards.
- integrating the Management
Information System scheme into its Computer Education programme.
- upgrading its in-house Computer
capability to a level adequate to the demands of its statutory tasks
Management Information System (MIS)
was formally introduced into Nigerian Universities Management systems in 1990 under the
auspices of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to deal essentially with students,
staff and financial records in the universities, and to provide periodic information
reports for all Units within the Universities. Each university was requested to set up a
MIS Committee with membership specified by the NUC. The first training assignment of the
MIS committee was to organise training for Principal Officers in order to get them
personally identified with the project and provide leadership and support. This was to be
followed by training of other users in the Registry, Bursary, Library, Academic Planning,
etc. For the generality of staff and students, the MIS Committee was mandated to organise
sensitisation and popularisation campaigns on MIS, its objectives and benefits.
Most of the universities,
polytechnics and colleges of education operate short-time courses in Word-processing,
Database Management, Spreadsheet and Statistical analyses leading to awards of in-house
certificates and diplomas.
At the international level but with
the country, the following are the major computer training institutions:
- Centre for Micro-Informatics
Maintenance, Department of Computer Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba,
Lagos, Nigeria.
The Centre was established by the
International Governmental Informatics Programme of UNESCO with the main purpose of:
- providing exposure and training in
hardware maintenance ;
- understanding the modular layout and
functional organization of units used in present day architecture;
- understanding the use of
state-of-the-art test equipment and software diagnostics aids in practical problems; and
- acquiring hands-on practical
training through direct and inductive tuition.
It organises short-time and advance
study internship in information technology and micro-informatics maintenance and training
for participants within the West African sub-region.
- The Centre for Informatics
Research and Training was established at the Ogun State University to:
- facilitate active and meaningful
research for development, using computers;
- serve as a centre for short training
programmes in the Africa Commonwealth region in the area of IT;
- assist researchers in universities
and research institutes as well as practitioners in R & D units of industry to use
available resources in the Centre to solve problems and to meet and exchange ideas with
professional colleagues and update their knowledge; and
- act as a catalyst for initiating
research and training programmes in IT which will eventually benefit the government as
well as interested Commonwealth African countries.
- The Africa Regional Centre
for Information Science (ARCIS) started operating in November 1990 at the
University of Ibadan. A number of international agencies played important roles in
formulating its objectives, organizational structure and programmes. ARCIS addresses
itself to African development problems that have demonstrable information services
components, with a view to providing both short- and long-term solutions to them.
In pursuance of its objective, ARCIS is involved in the following activities:
- running higher degree programmes in
information science (MInfSc, MPhil, PhD);
- providing short-term training and
retraining, through seminars and workshops, at different levels of information services;
- providing consultancy services in
systems analysis, design and evaluation; database construction and management; information
policy formulation and implementation; and solutions to operational problems in
information technology; and
- conducting research on the problems
and prospects of information science in the rapid socio-economic development of Africa.
Back to Top
Broadcasting/Media
The National
Broadcasting Commission is in charge of radio and TV broadcasting operating licences in
Nigeria.
Radio
Broadcasting: Radio Nigeria has three national stations (2 x FM stations all run
by parastatal Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Enugu, Ibadan and Kaduna
national stations.
Voice of
Nigeria, an offshoot of FRCN transmits worldwide in six languages (English,
French, Arabic, Hausa, Fulfude and Kiswahili). A number of private licensed radio stations
operate also in Nigeria.
Television
Broadcasting: Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is the only
body empowered to undertake nationwide television broadcasting in Nigeria. There are 10
state-controlled stations. About 10 private television stations are operating in various
states of the country.
Radios per
100 inhabitants: 19.7 (1995)
Television
receivers per 100 inhabitants: 6.8 (1999)
Cable TV
subscribers: na
Home
satellite dishes/antennas: na
Back to Top
|
