By Juliet Umeh
Nigeria will host its first Rural Connectivity Summit on Wednesday, 22 October 2025, in Lagos, to tackle the digital exclusion of over 20 million Nigerians with no internet access.
The summit, with the theme “Rethinking Digital Connectivity to Unlock Rural Economic Potentials,” will bring together telecom operators, regulators, policymakers, technology firms, financial institutions, donor agencies, civil society groups, and community leaders.
Convener and Partnership Coordinator, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, said the initiative was to bridge Nigeria’s urban-rural digital divide.
He said: “Digital transformation cannot be said to be successful if millions of rural Nigerians remain cut off.
“This summit is a movement to create opportunities and ensure connectivity becomes a catalyst for national growth.”
He added that a seven-year agenda would be launched to drive practical solutions until no community was left behind.
The summit is organised by Business Metrics Limited, known for pioneering national dialogues such as Nigeria’s first 5G readiness forum, advocacy for a Dig-Once fibre policy, and high-level summits on indigenous content development and critical information infrastructure protection.
According to Azeez, the rural connectivity summit will serve as a legacy platform for government, the private sector, and development partners to democratise digital access and transform rural communities across Nigeria.
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