By Kester Omu
Former Minister of Communications Technology, Dr Omobola Johnson has called for more investments in Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, saying it will strenghten greater connectivity in Nigeria.
Johnson, who is presently the Chairperson of Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) in Nigeria, made the call in a submission to the Nigerian Communications Commission to consider Internet Code of Practice, which she believes will help to alleviate obstacles, including high prices, poor service quality and inadequate infrastructure, which keep 96 million Nigerians offline.
“The most cited barriers in developing economies include funding to build the infrastructure necessary to provide connectivity, I think that the public and private sectors in developing economies must come together and collaborate to find win-win solutions that address both the issue of connectivity and the issue of cost,” the passionate ICT enthusiast was quoted by ITWeb Africa.
She noted that an Internet Code of Practice that would keep the Internet neutral and open would erase all forms of discriminatory traffic management, such as blocking or throttling. She urged operators to give room for transparency by giving more detailed information in customers’ contracts.