As part of efforts to enhance working economy and to reduce the rate of unemployment in the society, the Federal Government of Nigeria has engaged Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, to explore the possibility of establishing programs to create jobs in the country.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Sunday through his verified X handle.
Bosun revealed that the discussions happened on the sideline of the ongoing International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication (ITU-WRC) Conference in Dubai.
The minister explained that he met with Ryan Goodnight, the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation at SpaceX.
He mentioned that the discussion focused on how Starlink could establish a program to certify local installers and maintenance personnel in Nigeria and explore contracts for hardware startups to produce Starlink’s repeater boxes locally.
This revelation coincided with the acknowledgement from a Starlink official who declared Nigeria the company’s largest market, as stated by the Minister.
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Bosun said: “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 spoke about the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians.
“I also mentioned 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.”
“Our intention is to encourage every tech company to invest and deepen our tech ecosystem.”
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 spoke about the issue of…
— Dr. 'Bosun Tijani (@bosuntijani) November 19, 2023
