Chakula interviews John Dada and others on Broadband for Nigeria September 26, 2010
The interview is copied below - previous information on BB4N is at:
July 18, 2010 - Broad Band For Nigeria - all stakeholders invited to join discussions
August 4, 2010 - From John Dada - Broad Band 4NiGeria in the News - Photo added
August 25, 2010 - Broadband availability’ll greatly reduce poverty in Nigeria, DADA, Omo-ETTU
August 29, 2010 - A Civil Society Case for Broadband in Nigeria (and in other Less Developed Countries)
Full details of Chakula and how to subscribe are at the foot of this post.
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NIGERIA: Striking when the time is right�
The broadband campaign in Nigeria kicked off in early 2010 with the formation of a multi-stakeholder team to drive the initiative. The strategy in that country had several components, including commissioning the drafting of a broadband policy, hosting a Nigeria National Broadband Forum, and implementing a media strategy. Fittingly, the media strategy included a strong online presence to stimulate awareness and discussion of the broadband strategy and to monitor the progress of the campaign.
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�[M]edia-savvy individuals and members who know the history of the Nigeria telecom inside out were on the team��
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CHAKULA: You were tasked to set up a broadband forum in Nigeria, with the view of developing a national broadband strategy for the country. With such rapid take up of ICTs in Nigeria, how is it possible that the country didn�t have a framework for broadband development?
JOHN DADA [JD]: Nigeria is awash with brilliant attempts at ensuring ICTs are available for national development. However the uncertain political climes have been a major deterrent to continuity and focus. The nation already had a draft ICT4D policy, which was developed after the original IT Policy, but it is still waiting legislative approval. This draft policy is a precursor of the work done on the broadband framework.
CHAKULA: Tell me a bit about the process of setting up the forum � how did you go about it, who was involved, and what did you hope to achieve?
JD: A core group of volunteer individuals and organisations from civil society, the private sector and academia was identified to initiate discussions on issues related to a broadband strategy, including infrastructure, content, e-governance/e-citizenship and education.
CHAKULA: You then contracted Society Markets & Technology (SMarT) Research to develop a draft broadband strategy. How was this strategy received by stakeholders?
JD: SMarT Research were commissioned to conduct policy research and produce the draft broadband framework and background documents. After a consultation process, the final version of both documents were prepared and submitted on 18 May, 2010. These were published and widely circulated for inputs in both print and electronic formats in- advance of, and during a stakeholders forum. Drafts of the documents were made available to the public through mailing lists, presentations and interactions at various stakeholder meetings, workshops and conferences. A BB4NG [Broadband for Nigeria] Stakeholders� Forum was held on 28 July at the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja. Chaired by a private sector delegate, over one hundred delegates participated in the event and each had a copy of the printed documents. Delegates were from government ministries and institutions; private sector and telecoms industry; civil society groups; the media; the political sector; the military and intelligence community; young adults from the National Youths Service Corps; the academia and the general public. The framework document was considered acceptable, as the issues brought up and discussed by delegates had to do with implementation of the framework. Accordingly, all but three of the delegates in the attendance register also signed their endorsement of the framework during the Stakeholders� Forum, and both the senior special assistant to the minister of information and communications as well as the chairman of National Information Technology Development (NITDA) regarded the framework as presented to government.
CHAKULA: There were a number of strands to your strategy, which attracted a good deal of media coverage. What do you think were the most successful learning experiences, and why do you think they were successful?
JD: Composition of the core team of volunteers for developing the strategy was critical; media-savvy individuals and members who know the history of the Nigeria telecom inside out were on the team. They were able to mobilise their formidable network for effective coverage and follow up activities. For example a key member of the BB4NG campaign, Titi Omo-Ettu, is also the president of the high profile Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). ATCON, is already part of a team that includes the Nigeria telcom regulator that will attend the October ITWeb Broadband 2010 summit in South Africa
CHAKULA: Where is the process now, and what are the next steps?
JD: Sustained post-forum campaigns are on-going and being monitored. It is delightful that a framework already has a solid �leg in� with the present government, as the objectives are already featuring in speeches delivered by the minister of information and communications. However, the impending commencement of political campaigns and changes
of government and functionaries at all levels of governance suggest a strategic delay or toning down of the formal presentation of the framework to government. The Nigeria campaign therefore has to be sustained for a period that will span the inauguration of the next government in May 2011. This is an advantage as the new government is more likely to own a policy presented to it than inherited, especially from the tail-end of a previous one, and will also have the time to commence implementation of the framework.
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"[T]he campaign is coming at this time, which is its time."
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CHAKULA: You are the president of ATCON, and also a member of the broadband forum. First of all, can you tell me more about the Association � what is its role, and does it have a strong membership?
TITI OMO-ETTU [TO]: ATCON is the umbrella Association of all Telecommunication Companies in Nigeria. It recognises seven subgroups as well as autonomous subgroup associations such as Association of Licensed Telecom Operators (ALTON), the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPAN) and others. It interfaces with the industry
regulator and also with government to protect the interest of its members and also of the entire industry. It is a powerful input provider into policies of the federal government of Nigeria on communication matters. The government hired the association�s president in 2000 to serve as the chief executive of the Nigerian Communication Commission for two terms, which ended a few months ago.
Another active member of the Association was recently hired to succeed him. The Association is taking a team of its members and other industry players and entrepreneurs to explore trade relationships with world class players in Johannesburg in a fortnight, there about. It asked for and got the approval of the regulator to lead the trade team for strategic reasons.
CHAKULA: What got you interested in the broadband campaign?
TO: I am an engineer and I built a career in the telcom industry working for Nigeria's expired monopoly incumbent in the days of monopoly. I have followed the growth and development of Nigeria�s telecommunications since 1987 while I was in the public service and when we first mooted the liberalisation agenda. I opted out of service in 1991 into retirement to pursue a career in telecommunication consultancy and also to play in the political development of the industry. I have done so continuously from then and
it is only natural that the broadband campaign is coming at this time, which is its time.
CHAKULA: Why do you think Nigeria lacked a broadband strategy?
TO: To the extent that something has to start one day, ubiquitous broadband presence is not an old subject anywhere and I would rather see it as current need and not one of previous lack.
CHAKULA: What does the Association�s membership make of the campaign? Are they generally supportive?
TO: Yes, they are.
CHAKULA: There have been suggestions that in Nigeria, perhaps more than in other countries, in order to bring about policy change you have to prove the business model � appeal to the economics of it � rather than appeal, to say, bridging the digital divide, or providing services to the poor. Is this perception correct?
TO: This is true. I am an apostle of that philosophy which actually derived from our experiences that we have to situate the fortune of our development in the private-sector focused economy. This needs to be done to amass the kind of seriousness that enables us to meet our social needs using business models for productivity. The other models are unsuitable for our circumstances and ditto for a few other strategies.
CHAKULA: Where to now with the campaign, in your view?
TO: One way. Up! We are influencing government to open up the industry further. We did just that in the past decade, but now by stimulating SME initiatives to transport traffic and to enhance universal reach in such manners that promise ubiquity of broadband and strategic lowering of the cost of access and services. Government has been responding
better and our efforts are counting. For our association and its members, the first is advocacy, then education, then constructive requests for government intervention to reduce stress as we march on. The march is unstoppable.
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�[T]he dominant paradigm regarding [ICT development] dictates that [the government�s] involvement be minimal.�
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CHAKULA: You were asked by Nigerian National Broadband Forum to develop a draft broadband strategy for Nigeria. I have posed this question to the forum � but it intrigues me that many African countries with burgeoning ICT environments, have not yet taken the initiative to develop policy frameworks to guide the development of the ICT sector � which they nevertheless concede is critical to the country�s development. How do you account for the policy lag in Africa around ICTs?
ABI JAGUN [AJ]: I wish I had concrete evidence for what I am about to say rather than gut feel or unsubstantiated opinion, but I really do think that whilst some countries do more to integrate developments in ICTs into their national development strategies, and indeed practical/ concrete examples exist of this, other countries merely "talk the talk". I think there are various reasons for this, but a key one links to the perception that technology is a "black box" (for want of a better phrase). It boils down to the way technological innovation is
packaged to developing countries and is linked to an out-dated(?) perspective of the way in which developing countries are expected to acquire technology. Technology is not something that developing countries "develop"; rather it is "transferred" to them, and as such there is little expectation that governments/the recipient nation should be too involved in the "technicalities" nor in innovation.
Given an acceptance of this, it is not surprising that not much by way of developing the ICT sector features in meaningful/practical ways in the national priorities. Reinforcing this is the success with which the theory of liberalisation has influenced development interventions.
A competitive private sector can deliver the promises of technology and governments need only *react* to their needs - articulated either by the sector itself or agencies that directly of indirectly represent their needs. Also influential are the very expansive and effective 'advertising' that has been done by private sector communications operators looking for new markets and who, on the one hand, are looking for favourable investment/trade conditions in developing and emerging countries and on the other see the opportunity to score
corporate social responsibility points/quick-wins with their customers/public in more industrialised countries. In summary, we do not see more government involvement in the way/manner in which ICT development occurs in (most) African countries because the dominant paradigm regarding such developments dictates that their involvement be minimal.
CHAKULA: The draft framework suggests that the broadband strategy should aim to bring �broadband, with speed of at least 4Mbps, that is accessible, affordable and dependable to citizens and consumers in Nigeria.� How do you define issues of accessibility and affordability?
AJ: Accessibility and affordability are defined in practical terms and much the same way as would be defined with respect to other (tele)communications products/services. A large proportion of the population (if not all members of the public that wish to access the product/service) should be able to access the product/service conveniently and at a price that is commensurate with the income of the majority of the population.
CHAKULA: Amongst the objectives, you talk about the use of broadband for economic activities, because of the entrepreneurial nature of the population. In your experience, is broadband more about making money in Nigeria than elsewhere on the continent? In other countries, such as South Africa, an advocacy campaign might make more of bridging the
digital divide, and serving underserved communities. In Nigeria, how do you see the balance between business and development, as the spark for an advocacy campaign � what gets you more leverage if you want to bring about change?
AJ: There was intense discussion with respect to this in developing the broadband strategy. Whilst I cannot speak for other African countries, the truth is that the main driver of broadband deployment/diffusion in Nigeria will be businesses. When businesses believe that they will be able to make money in rolling out broadband and when businesses believe that they will make money by adopting it we will see infrastructure being built and applications and/or content being developed. Personal use of broadband and its spread to underserved areas and/or mariginalised groups will come about/increase as a result of this. There is therefore a need to acknowledge and create the space for the business aspect of broadband in order to attain more public- interest oriented objectives.
Key links:
Draft policy documents: www.forum.org.ng/BB4NG
Essentials of the media strategy is summarized at
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AUg1mzUdzt_SZGZ6anRqaDJfMjY5ZnNwcTJnZ20&hl=en
Stakeholder mapping is summarized at
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AS4Cn2nENwLzZGZkMmtrMmJfMmZ0OG05d2Zi&hl=en
Results of the media campaign:
�Nigerians demand broadband access from FG,� Available at
http://compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64925:nigerians-demand-broadband-access-from-fg-&catid=37:info-tech&Itemid=709
�Nigeria: New Broadband Capacity Underway, Says FG,� Available at
http://allafrica.com/stories/201008100128.html
�Stakeholders to dialogue on broadband for Nigerians,� Available at
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6361408-stakeholders-to-dialogue-on-broadband-for-nigerians
�Broadband for Nigeria holds in Abuja,� Available at
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/07/20/broadband-for-nigeria-holds-in-abuja/
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