CITAD Commissions Pilot Community Network Project In Bauchi

In an effort to fully connect the unserved and under served communities with network in Nigeria,, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has launched it’s first community network project in Bauchi state.

The Center on Thursday hands over the control of the network project to the benefiting community, Hanafari, a village under Jama’are local government area of the state.

Citad embarked on the project with the aim of bridging the digital divide in Nigeria through boosting networks strength and efficiency in unserved and under served communities.

Reports say, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in 2020 said, there are approximately 114 communities in Nigeria that are either under-served or unconnected.

The equipments (Community WIFE) was handed over to the community in the presence of traditional leaders, local government officials as well as members of the community.

Speaking to newsmen after the ceremony, Haruna Adamu Hadejia, CITAD’s National Coordinator for the School of Community Networks, explained that Hanafari was chosen as the pilot project location because it is about 7-8 km away from Jama’are town with population of about 20,000 people.

“We evaluated around 10-15 communities close to Jama’are, but most of them were far from the town. Therefore, we chose the closest one within a range of 7-8 km, and that’s why Hanafari was selected,” disclosed the National Coordinator.

Dahiru Abubakar Kundi, CITAD’s Programme Officer in Jama’are said, there is plan for training of some selected members of the community on the handling of the equipments for easy maintance.

“There are numerous benefits associated with the facilities deployed to them. Currently, they have expressed their intention to purchase computers in order to leverage these facilities,” he explained.

Speaking on the Technical aspect of the project, Muhammad Bello, said, Hanafari is an underserved community with a very low network capacity.

He explained that, the installed facility is responsible for improving the quality of their network for browsing.

Bello highlighted the various benefits of the facility for the Hanafari community, including online registrations, the establishment of JAMB CBT (Computer-Based Test) centers, and research projects, among others.

He also explained that the Community WIFI consists of access points that extend the network to a greater distance range. Additionally, there is a booster attached to the facility, which is responsible for connecting to other networks (such as MTN, Etisalat, Glo, etc.).

However, the booster was removed due to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regulations, as it requires a license to be utilized and was found to interfere with other networks in close proximity.

During the event, a practical social media video call was demonstrated to ensure the strength of the network.

A resident of the Community, expressed his gratitude to CITAD for improving their access to a quality network. He emphasized the importance of the community, particularly the youth, in safeguarding the installed facilities.