From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The federal government, through the Galaxy Backbone (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), has signed a partnership aimed at providing electricity and digital connectivity to public institutions across the country.
The agreement, signed at the weekend in Abuja, targets hospitals, schools, universities, security outfits and other government establishments.
The agencies said the initiative is expected to unlock $25 billion in revenue lost annually to lack of electricity and inadequate infrastructure in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of GBB, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanyu, said the partnership would drive greater effectiveness in the delivery of government services.
He explained that the collaboration will ensure that hospitals, universities, security outfits, and government institutions have access to electricity and digital connectivity.
“We are going to target public institutions to make them more efficient and reduce the cost of governance.
“Already, we are looking at starting with a number of federal institutions within Abuja, including the National Hospital and some security outfit institutions within Abuja, and we would like to work this infrastructure deployment to get out of Galaxy Backbone, Abuja.
“Imagine providing access to the internet and electricity to the lowest micro-level of the sub-national, the local government level. Imagine how we would transform local government administration.
And this is very much also in line with Mr. President, where the roles and responsibilities of local government have been brought back to make them more effective and to make sure that governance has gone down to the community level,” he stated.
On his part, the Managing Director of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the move as an effort by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to drive inclusive development.
He stressed that the initiative would unlock $25 billion annually, which the country loses due to electricity and infrastructure deficits.
According to him, the partnership aligns with the Tinubu-led government’s renewed hope agenda and the push toward a $1 trillion economy.
“For us, today, we are showing and demonstrating how two different government agencies can collaborate towards the development of this country. Today, we are showing we are planting the seed to unlock a $25 billion economy. The cost of lack of electricity and associated development initiatives within the country is costing the country $25 billion annually.
“Today, we are looking at contributing to the objective of Mr. President towards the realisation of the $1 trillion economy. Today, we are planting the seed for the development of small, medium, and micro enterprises across the country. Today, we are enhancing the governance of this country by making public institutions more efficient, operating with less cost, and also having all the necessary digital requirements for them to carry out their own functions.
“The nexus between electricity, financial inclusion, and the digital economy cannot be overemphasised. We have seen over and over in the study that wherever there is no electricity, there is no financial inclusion, and there is no digital value that has been created within those communities. Nigeria has the highest number of people without electricity, which by extension means that the country has the highest number of people that are financially excluded, and they are not reaping the benefit of the digital economy,” he stated.
Galaxy Backbone and the Police Trust Fund recently signed a separate agreement to establish smart police stations across the country.