According to Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, projects like a Starlink certified installer/maintenance programme and partnerships with hardware startups to manufacture repeater boxes locally have the potential to generate thousands of jobs.
The minister said on X (previously Twitter) that he discussed it with Ryan Goodnight, Senior Director of Global Licencing and Activation of SpaceX, during their Sunday meeting outside the International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication Conference, which is currently taking place in Dubai.
Tijani revealed that Nigeria was currently Starlink’s largest market in Africa and that he had a conversation with the director of SpaceX about the possibility of generating new jobs as well as the problem of connecting underserved and unserved Nigerians.
He tweeted, “Excellent conversation with Ryan Goodnight, Snr. Director, Global Licensing and Activation of @SpaceX on the sidelines of ITU-WRC 23, who shared that Nigeria is their biggest market in Africa”
The issue of connecting underserved and unserved Nigerians was discussed, given the growing demand for @Starlink in the country.
I also touched on the potential for projects like a Starlink certified installer/maintenance programme and collaborating with hardware startups to manufacture repeater boxes locally to generate thousands of new jobs in Nigeria. Our goal is to expand our tech ecosystem and inspire all tech companies to invest, says Elon Musk.
As per the data provided by the Nigerian Communications Commission, the company, which formally began operations in Nigeria in January 2023, currently boasts 6,756 users of wireless Internet.
Nigeria was the 47th country in the world and the first in Africa where Starlink operated.