Emmanuel OchayiThe Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated discussions with SpaceX’s internet service provider, Starlink, aimed at generating job opportunities within the country through local maintenance and production of its hardware.
Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, revealed this conversation held on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication Conference in Dubai.
Dr. Tijani highlighted, “We spoke about the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians. I also mentioned the possibility of creating thousands of new jobs in Nigeria through initiatives like a certified installer/maintenance program for Starlink and working with hardware start-ups to produce repeater boxes locally.”
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In a Twitter post, the Minister expressed the prospect of boosting Nigeria’s tech ecosystem through collaborations, stating, “We intend to encourage every tech company to invest and deepen our tech ecosystem.”
Starlink, recognizing Nigeria as its largest market in Africa, began operations in the country in January 2022. Presently, the company has garnered 6,756 customers in Nigeria. To expand its market share, Starlink recently reduced its hardware costs by 21 per cent, dropping the price to N299,500 while maintaining the monthly subscription at N38,000. This move aligns with their goal to broaden accessibility to their services across the nation.
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