USPF secretary, Yomi Arowosafe.

Nigeria’s Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) has announced plans to deploy 1 000 new cellular base stations across the country’s rural areas, by 2030.

Base stations are critical for enabling wireless communication, and the successful completion of this initiative will improve telecommunications access in underserved areas, which aligns with global efforts to improve rural connectivity.

USPF secretary Yomi Arowosafe commended the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) for their collaboration on this initiative.

He highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships to achieve universal broadband access, a goal requiring $400 billion globally by 2030, as highlighted by the World Bank.

The World Bank, supporting this stance had noted that “achieving universal broadband access will require over $400 billion by 2030, and neither the public nor the private sector can do this alone. Governments need to make bold reforms, and the private sector can reduce costs and risks and increase efficiency and innovation.”

Arowosafe disclosed the plans for 1 000 new base stations during a telecommunications forum in Lagos. This move complemented the Federal Government’s recent announcement of 7 000 new base stations.

The USPF secretary also highlighted partnerships with device manufacturers to provide affordable mobile devices, which will further help to bridge the digital divide.

Arowosafe said that Nigeria has reduced its connectivity gap by 57.97% since 2013, benefiting 13.8 million people.

Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said, earlier this month that 30 million Nigerians are still without basic telephony services.