By Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, has commended the chairman of Itas/Gadau local government area of Bauchi state, for donating parcel of land to build structures for proposed community network.
The Centre in a statement by its Executive Director, Y. Z. Yau and made available to ASHENEWS on Wednesday, also called on the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, to fast track the process of policy development for community networks in the country.
CITAD is implementing a project aimed at enhancing the capacity of communities to design, deploy and manage community networks to meet their communication needs, with support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK through the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
“We are happy to announce the donation of a lot of land in Itas by the chairman of the Itas/Gadau local government of Bauchi state, Abdullahi Maigari for the building to accommodate the structures needed for the proposed community network in the community.
“CITAD welcomes this donation as demonstration of the community of the leadership of the community to support their citizens to create the necessary conditions for their digital self-inclusion which will contribute in facilitating access to digital business and opportunity as well as increase access to education.
“We thank the chairman for this exemplary gesture and assured him that CITAD will ensure the proper use of the land to power its digital programmes for the community,” the statement reads.
The Centre also called on Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, to fast-track the process of policy development for community networks.
“CITAD calls on the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, to fast track its process of policy development for community networks in the country as well as lead in speeding up the flourishing of community networks by providing free spectrums to rural rural communities where community networks are being provided.”
According to Yau, the use of community networks is part of the many strategies aimed at addressing connectivity gaps and bridging the digital divide across the country.
“This communication needs can be voice, data, etc and can be point of convergence for community to come together to address their common community problems,” he stated.
He added that CITAD’s project has pilot sites in seven communities across three states including Jamaare and Itas in Bauchi; Kafanchan in Kaduna and four sites in Tungen Ashere, Dakwa Community, Pasepa and Leleyi Gwari rural communities of the Federal Capacity Territory, Abuja.
He revealed that all the organizations in the seven sites were being trained to enhance their capacity to undertake the roll out of community networks.
While calling on the USPF and NITAD to extend their digital inclusion programmes to community networks initiatives so that these efforts could become more sustainable, CITAD also called on other political leaders in Itas-Gadau local government and other communities, especially members of the House of Assembly and House Representative, to as a matter of their constituents’ interest, support efforts to build the community networks in their communities to address the digital marginalization of their people.
“Philanthropists and business individuals in the local governments should also assist in the building of the community network centers,” Yau further stated.
