At the launch of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) Impact Alliance in Lagos, stakeholders underscored the critical need for digital inclusion in Nigeria. Established by the federal government, the USPF was designed to support national policy objectives by expanding access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved, and underserved areas.
Though the Fund has operated for years, the new Impact Alliance aims to specifically boost digital connectivity nationwide, particularly as a tool for job creation among Nigeria’s growing youth population.
“The country’s population now is a youthful population, and we need to put them into use as quickly as possible by providing these infrastructures and making sure that those people in the rural areas, underserved and unserved areas, are meaningfully engaged with digital infrastructure and the capacity building so that they can always learn and become gainfully employed,” said USPF secretary Yomi Arowosafe.