Transcript Slide 1

USP SECRETARIAT (USPS)
EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATION TO VISITING STUDENTS OF
USMAN DANFODIO UNIVERSITY, SOKOTO
By the
Director/Secretary, Universal Service Provision Secretariat
May 2011
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CONTENT
 INTRODUCTION
 VISION/MISSION OF THE USPF
 THE
MANDATE OF UNIVERSAL
PROVISION FUND (USPF)
SERVICE
 GOALS AND STRATEGY
 PROJECT ELIGIBILITY
 CONCLUSIONS
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INTRODUCTION
 The Nigerian Communications Commission
 Why was the Commission established
 What are its functions
 The Telecommunications Industry
 The Federal Government (including the National Assembly)
 The Nigerian Communications Commission
 The Operators (Network Operators, Valued Added/Service Providers,
Infrastructure Providers etc)
 The Guiding Instruments
 The Constitution of the Federal Republic
 The Nigerian Communications Act No. 19 of 2003
 The National Telecommunications Policy
 Universal Access and Universal Service Regulations 2007
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INTRODUCTION
 The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) No 19 of 2003, Part
IV detail the Universal Service Provision in Nigeria.
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Section 115 establishes the USP Board with the mandate to supervise and provide
broad policy directions for the management of the USP Fund.
Section 118 establishes the USP Secretariat and states that it shall reside in the
Commission (NCC) and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the
Universal Service Provision.
 The Universal Access and Universal Service Regulation 2007
Section (2) states that “The ultimate objectives of the system
of universal access and universal service provision described
in sub-paragraph (1) of the regulation are to:
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promote greater social equity and inclusion for the people of Nigeria; and
Contribute to national economic, social and cultural development of Nigeria
 Section 48 of the regulation states “ USP Projects shall be
award to one or more bidders, as the case may be, using a
competitive selection process designed and implemented by
the USP Secretariat in accordance with these Regulations
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INTRODUCTION
 The Universal Service Provision Fund (“USPF”) was established by
the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate the achievement of
national policy goals for universal service and universal access to
information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved and under-served areas in Nigeria.
 The USP Secretariat carries out the general statutory mandate of
the NCC on Universal Access and Universal Service by:
‘… promoting the widespread availability and usage of network
services and application services throughout Nigeria by
encouraging the installation of network facilities and the provision
of network services and applications services to institutions and in
unserved, underserved areas or for underserved groups within the
community’
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INTRODUCTION
 The USPF became operational in August 2006 with the
inauguration of the Board.
 The Board of the USPF approved a Strategic Plan 2007 – 2011 which
consists of five (5) broad goals to promote the widespread
availability and usage of network and applications services
throughout Nigeria (including unserved, underserved areas or for
underserved groups within the community)
 The Core Values, on which USPF activities are predicated upon are:
 Professionalism
 Integrity
 Innovation
 Commitment
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INTRODUCTION
 Every May 17, the International Telecommunications Union
(ITU), an organ of the United Nations, celebrates the
World Telecommunications Day.
 The purpose of World Telecommunication and
Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise
awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet
and other information and communication technologies
(ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of
ways to bridge the digital divide.
 Therefore, tomorrow, May 17, 2011 will be celebrated as the
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
with the theme ‘Better life in rural communities with ICTs’
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INTRODUCTION
 ICTs are increasingly in demand to meet the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). In the rural context, ICTs provide
enhanced opportunities to generate income and combat poverty,
hunger, ill health and illiteracy.
 The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which
met in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005, called upon countries
to consider establishing national mechanisms to achieve
universal access in underserved rural areas in order to
bridge the digital divide.
 The Universal Service Provision Fund is committed to connecting
the unserved, underserved and rural communities and to ensure
that the benefits of ICTs reach the remotest corners of Nigeria.
 What do you think is your role, especially after your study trip to
the Nigerian Communications Commission?
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VISION/MISSION OF THE USPF
 Vision
ICT access for all
 Mission
To achieve universal coverage and universal service through
a public-private partnership framework that stimulates
economic and social development, private sector
investment and market-based provision of basic affordable
and quality ICT infrastructure and services to unserved and
underserved areas, communities and populations.
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MANDATE OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROVISION
FUND
The mandate of the Universal Service Provision Fund include
the following: Create an enabling environment by raising public
awareness on the uses and benefits of ICTs, building
capacity amongst communities to participate in and take
advantage of economic opportunities in ICT.
 Contribute to national economic and social development
through enhancing the universal accessibility and
availability of telecommunications and ICT infrastructure
and services
 Facilitate the provision of infrastructural development to
unserved, underserved and rural areas in nondiscriminatory manner.
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MANDATE OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROVISION
FUND
 Promote competition in ICT services delivery.
 Promote technological innovation in ICT services delivery.
 Ensure
effective utilization of funds to leverage
investments in rural communications.
 Support the establishment of efficient, self sustaining,
market-oriented businesses, which will continue to expand
access to ICTs infrastructure and services.
 Use ICT to promote greater social equity and inclusion for
all the people of Nigeria.
 Foster the adoption and use of methods of attaining greater
universal access and universal service.
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GOALS AND STRATEGY
 The 5 broad goals and some programmes within each goal
are:
 Goal #1: To facilitate an Enabling Environment for ICT
 Research Studies/Surveys
 Research on Infrastructure gap using GIS mapping
ICT penetration analysis using recently released census figures
 Consultation and awareness creation
Regional Consultative Stakeholders for a
Focused Industry Strategic Sessions
Consultation with other government agencies on constraints to ICT roll-out
 Goal #2: To promote Universal Access
 Facilitate community access to basic telephony, internet and broadband services.
 Base Transceiver Station (BTS)
 Collocation Infrastructure Project (CIP)
 Solar-Powered Base Transceiver Station (Solar-BTs)
 Community Communications Centre (CCC)
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 Goal #3: To promote Universal Coverage
 Connection
to the national
infrastructure programme
transmission
backbone
 Backbone Transmission Infrastructure (BTRAIN)
 Rural Broadband Initiative (RUBI)
 Goal #4: To facilitate Connectivity for Development (C4D)
(
)
 School Access Programme SAP
(
)
 Tertiary Institution Access Programme TiAP
 E-Learning
(E-Library)
 Goal #5: To enable Institutional Development
 USPF sustainability programme
 Procedural Manual Development
 Corporate Governance Strategy
 Fund Management
 System Monitoring and Evaluation
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GOALS AND STRATEGY
 The strategies: Grants and Subsidies through Public-Private-
Peoples Partnerships (PPPP) are designed to achieve:
 AVAILABILITY: ICT services should be accessed by consumers every
time (24×7), even if it is public access.
 AFFORDABILITY: Prices of ICT services (within a universal service
programme) should be such that a greater part of the population can
pay
 ACCESSIBILITY: The geographic distribution of ICT services points of
presence should be as close as possible to the consumers, including persons
living with disabilities.
 SUSTAINABILITY: ICT services/applications
programmes shall be managed/maintained in
ensures consumers benefit from the programme
forever
 AWARENESS/EMPOWERMENT: UA/US
within the UA/US
a mechanism that
over a long period -
programmes are
designed to promote awareness of the importance and uses of
ICT. The programmes should also help improve the socioeconomic activities of the rural communities.
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USPF Project Eligibility
 The USPF will finance “top-down” proposals developed by the USPF as
well as ‘bottom-up” proposals developed by operators, private sector,
communities, NGOs and other government entities.
•To be eligible for USPF financing all proposals must meet certain criteria
that are consistent with the USPF Principles and presented in a standard
format.
A major criterion is that the project must be located in an unserved
and/or underserved community, population groups etc
 The bottom-up concept was initiated to encourage State Governments,
individuals, communities and public participation in USP projects
implementation process especially in identifying, suggesting and initiating
the type and kind of projects that require USP funding and greatly impact
on universal service provisioning.
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CONCLUSIONS
Developing effective ways to extend access to telecommunications and ICT
services to poor and remote communities and to the unserved and underserved
areas of Nigeria is the challenge the USPF confronts.
The low incomes, the small size of communities, and the large investments
required because of the lack of infrastructure backbone (and in some cases
inhospitable terrain) are all key issues in designing viable options for universal
access.
Through all of this, the goal of the USPF remains the same, simply to bridge the
gap between the information rich and the information poor and to enable userfriendly and affordable access to ICT facilities and services for every Nigerian
regardless of the region of the country they reside hence creating an enabling
environment to drive socio-economic development in the country.
This goal is achievable and measurable and in the bid to attain them, the USPF has
developed, implemented and continues to implement the programmes laid out
above.
It is the belief of the USP Management that the World Summit of Information
Society (WSIS) declaration – Everyone, everywhere should have the
opportunity to participate and no one should be excluded from the benefits
the Information Society offers – is attainable in Nigeria.
THANKYOU
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