The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has stated that projects like a Starlink-certified installer/maintenance program and partnerships with hardware entrepreneurs to manufacture repeater boxes locally have the potential to generate thousands of jobs.
The Punch reported that the minister said on X (formerly Twitter) that he discussed it with the Senior Director of Global Licencing and Activation of SpaceX, Ryan Goodnight, 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 possibilities of generating new jobs as well as the problem of connecting neglected 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.
“We discussed the challenge of connecting neglected and unserved Nigerians as the demand for @Starlink grows in Nigeria.
According ti Tijani, “I also brought up the prospect of generating thousands of new employment in Nigeria by collaborating with hardware companies to make repeater boxes locally and implementing programs like Starlink’s certified installer/maintenance scheme. Our goal is to inspire all tech companies to make investments and expand the tech ecosystem led by Elon Musk.”
The company, which formally debuted in Nigeria in January 2023, currently has 6,756 wireless Internet users, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Nigeria was Starlink’s first African operational country and 47th globally.
