The Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy has forged a groundbreaking partnership with Starlink aimed at fostering job creation opportunities for Nigerians.
Minister Bosun Tijani revealed that this collaboration intends to offer employment through local maintenance and the production of hardware associated with the Starlink satellite network.
In a statement shared on Sunday via his verified social media handle, Tijani disclosed that the discussions took place during the sidelines of the ongoing International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication (ITU-WRC) Conference held in Dubai.
He met with Ryan Goodnight, the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation at SpaceX, to explore avenues for job creation and expansion of Starlink services in Nigeria.
“Excellent conversation with Ryan Goodnight, Snr. Director, Global Licensing & Activation of @SpaceX on the sidelines of ITU-WRC 23, who shared that Nigeria is their biggest market in Africa. As demand for @Starlink continues to grow in Nigeria, we discussed connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians,” Minister Tijani mentioned in his statement.
Highlighting the potential impact, he added, “We also discussed the possibility of creating thousands of new jobs in Nigeria through initiatives like a certified installer/maintenance programme for Starlink and working with hardware startups to produce repeater boxes locally.”
This initiative aligns with the commitment expressed by Elon Musk earlier in the year when SpaceX announced the deployment of its satellite technology in Nigeria.
Bosun emphasized that such collaborations aim to encourage tech companies to invest and bolster Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
