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The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says it will put up a financial mechanism to ensure the completion of Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) project before the end of the year.

According to NAN, Benedict Oramah, Afreximbank president, disclosed this in Cairo, Egypt, when Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, led a team of DSO stakeholders on bilateral discussions on the project.

In April 2021, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) launched free set-top boxes as part of the digital switchover (DSO) in Lagos. The initiative was to enable millions of Nigerians who cannot afford the subscriptions of Pay-TV platforms to enjoy digital television with good content from 60 channels.

Oramah said Afreximbank was impressed by the presentation and will make Nigeria a model for other African countries for DSO project financing.

“The move toward digital television is global, and it was impressive to see the seriousness with which the minister has been pursuing this,” he said.

“I have had several meetings with him in France, Nigeria, and he has come here with a very powerful delegation involving all the stakeholders.

“What we are looking out to do is to work with all the stakeholders, particularly the private sector, to put a financing mechanism in place to ensure that Nigeria saves more than $400 million of subsidy that would have been applied.

“When we are able to do this before the end of the year, the Nigerian government will benefit because we are going to free the spectrum that will be now sold for about two billion dollars to telecommunication companies.

“We assure you that we will put in place the financial structure that will work because we know that if we do it well in Nigeria, other African countries pursuing the same goal will take a cue from there.”

Oramah added that supporting the DSO project would create a platform that would accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s creative industry.

On his part, Mohammed noted that the creative industry is key in the diversification of Nigeria’s economy because, after agriculture, it employs a larger number of people, mostly women and the young population.

He said the project would also bridge the digital divide by establishing more equitable access, connecting the unconnected at the underserved and remote communities.

The minister recalled that at the beginning of the programme, the model adopted by the government, which was subsidy driven was not sustainable.

“When the programme started, government subsidised the STB, which was bought from the manufacturers for $30 per box and sold to consumers at $10 per box,” he said.

“Government was also paying the signal distributors and the middleware providers, but the subsidy regime can no longer be sustained.

“Right now, the government is not going to give any financial support again to the project, and that is why we have reengineered and rejigged the programme in a manner that it will be commercially viable.

“Government will only give support to the project in the areas of regulations, advocacy and formulation of policies.

“For instance, we have already amended the Broadcasting Code to protect local manufacturers, advertisers, and channel owners.”

Godfrey Ohuabunwa, chairman of STB Manufacturers in Nigeria, who presented the credit requirement to the Afreximbank, said they would require a total of $165 million.

According to him, $125 million is expected to fund an initial five million STB from the total of 20 million boxes needed in five years.

He said the signal distributors would require $30 million as well as $10 million for marketing and promotion.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency(NPHCDA), in Nigeria on Tuesday announced that it would integrate childhood vaccination at COVID-19 vaccination sites for children from 0-23 months in the ongoing mass vaccination exercise.

Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director, NPHCDA, disclosed this at the National COVID-19 Vaccines weekly briefing, in Abuja

Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director, NPHCDA, disclosed this in a statement delivered at the National COVID-19 Vaccines weekly briefing, in Abuja and was shared on the Twitter handle of NPHCDA, @Nphcda.

Shuaib explained that the integration was to ensure that preventable childhood diseases are not neglected in the face of the response against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NPHCDA boss also called on Nigerians to endeavour they utilise the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country, Shuaib, said the holiday season came with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The NPHCDA Executive Director said several unvaccinated individuals were migrating from the cities to the rural areas and back to the cities.

He elaborated that the Integration of childhood immunisation across Nigeria the federal government is planning to integrate childhood immunisation into its ongoing COVID-19 campaign train.

The statement partly reads,
“In this phase of COVID-19 mass vaccination, the campaign would be integrated with childhood immunization and other primary health care services. What this simply means is that alongside the COVID-19 vaccines, childhood vaccines will also be available at COVID-19 vaccination sites.

“Consequently, parents or guardians with children aged zero to 23 months are urged to take them along to the vaccination sites,” he explained.

While calling on Nigerians to endeavour they utilise the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country, Shuaib, said the holiday season came with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The NPHCDA Executive Director said several unvaccinated individuals were migrating from the cities to the rural areas and back to the cities.

Shuaib said, “Globally, we saw the emergence of new variants such as IHU variant in France which is said to have 46 mutations, Deltacron in Cyprus and the Omicron variant still being highly infectious with a BA.2 subvariant rapidly spreading.

“More of our citizens were coming down with the infection. Luckily for our vaccinated population, those who came down with the COVID-19 infection had mild symptoms which they managed at home due to the immunity the vaccination provided them.”

“If they were not vaccinated, we cannot predict how these cases would have turned out. Vaccination prevents you from severe disease, hospitalisation and death.”

Elaborating further, he said the reason for the emergence of these variants was because there was still a large proportion of the eligible population who were yet to be vaccinated.

Shuaib, stressed, “It is important that we protect ourselves and our loved ones by getting the jab. Our vaccination exercise was expanded to enable all eligible persons to have easier access.

“All vaccination sites are open to eligible persons, 18 years and above for first, second and booster doses. We call on Nigerians to avail themselves of this opportunity in the ongoing mass vaccination exercise to get vaccinated against COVID-19.”

On his part, Dr. Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, announced that $298 million have been used by the Nigerian government for the procurement of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in total at about 30 million doses.

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