The Abia State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MTN Nigeria to advance the state’s digital transformation efforts.
The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said on Monday in Umuahia while addressing reporters on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.
Mr Kanu described the deal as a product of several months of meetings and negotiations between the Abia State Government and MTN management.
He said the Mou covered six key areas to improve digital access and governance across the state before the end of the year.
Mr Kanu said, “The first area is coverage of 100 per cent of the population and the space of the whole Abia with broadband access before year-end.
“The second area is a device ownership scheme to support Abia civil servants with work tools.
“This is a situation whereby MTN Nigeria Limited will finance the acquisition of laptops, smartphones, and Wi-Fi devices for Abia State Civil Servants.
“All these are geared towards enhancing their effectiveness on the job and, of course, extending the Digital Transformation Agenda of the present administration.’’
He said the third area is digital governance by providing cloud services and computing infrastructure for government operations.
“The fourth area focuses on establishing an Abia Digital Mall to support small businesses and the informal sector and will involve the usage of multiple digital tools to drive SME growth in Abia State.
“The fifth target is the rollout of 4G and 5G services in Umuahia, Aba, and Ohafia before year-end.
“The sixth area involves creating a digital marketplace to drive e-governance and online commerce in the state.
“This will attempt to distribute into bold manifestation the Governor’s vision of digital transformation of Abia State to the 21st century,” he said.
The commissioner said the initiative would empower rural dwellers to conduct businesses from remote areas and boost productivity, thereby engendering socioeconomic growth.
When fully realised, Mr Kanu said the project would turn the state’s fortunes around for good.
A 2020 report on global access to the Internet said 58 per cent of Nigerians did not have access to the technology.
The report ranked Nigeria as fourth, just below Pakistan and above Bangladesh, among the countries with poor access to the internet.
According to the report, India, China, and Pakistan have the highest number of people without internet access.