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ITU earmarks $7b to boost Nigeria, others’ broadband

International Telecommunication Union (ITU's) Partner2Connect Digital Coalition identified new connectivity projects valued at $7 billion in Nigeria and other parts of the world this year, the United Nations (UN) tech agency said at the second annual meeting yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland.

The new commitments increase to nearly $37 billion the value of resources mobilized by Partner2Connect (P2C) since the pledging platform opened in March 2022.

ITU reported earlier this year that 2.6 billion people around the world still live without a connection to the Internet. The new resources are expected to help increase access to affordable and meaningful connectivity for those that remain offline.

ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “Partner2Connect is about big numbers but even bigger human impact stories. Behind the numbers are people and organizations committed to making a difference in the lives of hard-to-connect communities."

Data presented at the annual meeting show strong focus on programmes targeting the gender digital divide and benefitting the globe's Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Women are specified among the beneficiary groups in over half of the pledges in the Partner2Connect platform. Earlier this year, ITU's Facts and Figures 2023 showed that only 65 per cent of women use the Internet compared with 70 per cent of men.

One-third of the pledges target at least one of the world's Least Developed Countries. The Internet is currently considered to be affordable in only two of the 46 LDCs.

In 2023, ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau held a series of regional matchmaking roundtables to ensure that the needs or priorities of individual countries and regions were matched with partner pledges to help operationalize the announced commitments.

Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, said: “The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition is one of ITU's key global multi-stakeholder initiatives. The matchmaking roundtables are crucial for guaranteeing tangible impact on the ground and enhancing people's quality of life through universal and meaningful Internet connectivity."

Earlier this year, ITU called for $100 billion in pledges by 2026 to mobilize the expertise, resources, and investment for projects to reach those in the hardest-to-connect communities.

Overall, the number of pledges received by Partner2Connect this year increased by 55 per cent, with the number of pledging entities rising by close to 60 per cent. By the end of 2023, almost three-quarters of the 280 pledges reported on were in progress.

Among other commitments highlighted at the annual meeting were pledges dedicated to providing connectivity for refugees and advancing digitally-driven climate action. The commitments related to refugee connectivity were made ahead of UNHCR's Global Refugee Forum, at which additional pledges involving ITU will be announced.

Updates on existing pledges and announcements of new pledges were also made by the P2C Champions – Amazon, Microsoft, and ZTE – organizations who have all committed to helping maximize the impact of the P2C Digital Coalition, broaden support for its activities, and strengthen coordination with similar platforms.

The second Partner2Connect Annual Meeting closed with the 10th EQUALS in Tech Awards Ceremony, introduced by Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York, a prominent advocate for women's rights who has championed initiatives that promote inclusivity and equality.

The EQUALS in Tech Awards celebrate initiatives, projects, organizations, and institutions that have displayed extraordinary commitment to bridging the gender divide in the realm of digital technologies.