Sixteen graduates of the Fifth Nigerian School of Community Networks, equipped with skills to manage and sustain internet connectivity in unserved communities, have been urged to deploy community-driven digital connectivity across rural areas of Nigeria neglected by service providers.
The participants successfully completed an intensive two-week programme designed to build technical capacity in designing, installing and maintaining community network infrastructure.
The training is an initiative of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), aimed at ensuring that rural and marginalised communities are not left behind in the digital age.
CITAD Executive Director, Y.Z. Ya’u, said the school was established to address persistent digital exclusion faced by rural and low-income communities.
He noted that many commercial service providers avoid such areas due to low profit margins, making community networks a viable alternative for expanding internet access.
“The school equips participants with the skills needed to design, build and maintain community network infrastructure—an essential, community-owned model that brings connectivity to places commercial operators overlook,” Ya’u said.
He added that several African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana, already have national policies supporting community networks, while Nigeria is yet to institutionalise such frameworks.
A representative of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abdulkadir Usman, said initiatives like the programme support Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, which the commission remains committed to growing.
Secretary of the Internet Society Nigeria Chapter, Abdulrahman Barkindo, urged the graduates to use their skills to transform underserved communities, describing them as “ministers in the temple of digital inclusion.”
He said the society remains committed to raising awareness on positive internet use, data privacy and protection.
A telecommunications expert, Engr. Rabiu Haruna, also challenged the graduates to explore digital opportunities in underserved communities by unlocking their full potential.
Nigeria’s internet penetration rate stood at 48.15 per cent in April 2025, below the 70 per cent target, largely due to inadequate infrastructure in rural areas.
