(Ecofin Agency) - Sweden, through its Program for ICT Development in Emerging Regions (SPIDER), will help Nigeria build its ICT capacity and develop broadband nationwide.

Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and Carl Michael Gräns, Swedish Ambassador to ECOWAS ; Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria, met for this purpose on 9 January 2020, in Lagos.

Following this meeting, Umar Garba Danbatta revealed that capacity building of Nigerians on ICT tools and skills will start with agencies in the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE and the beneficiaries in the agencies will proceed to train other Nigerians. The head of the NCC indicated that this is not the first time Nigeria has benefited from the support of Sweden in building the capacity of the population in ICTs. In the past, some Nigerians had received training from the Swedish Post and Telecommunications Authority (PTS). According to Umar Garba Danbatta, Sweden's support through the SPIDER program is just the continuation of the collaboration between the two countries.

For Carl Michael Gräns, the support that will be given to Nigeria is due to the imminent digital revolution in the country. Since 2018, Nigeria has been multiplying investments to draw more economic growth from the non-oil sectors, and ICT is one of the key pillars of this strategy. The government has been stepping up efforts to develop broadband at the national level and to introduce ICTs in various strategic segments (public administration, education, health, etc.). Since last year, 5G is being tested in the country to explore its impact on the industry and the national economy.