The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) will host Nigeria’s first Community-Centred Connectivity (CCC) capacity-building bootcamp from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in Abuja.
The five-day bootcamp will bring together 20 representatives of existing and emerging community-centred connectivity initiatives from across the country, organisers said.
In a statement signed by Haruna Adamu Hadejia of CITAD, the organisers said the programme was aimed at strengthening locally led digital inclusion efforts.
Participants will include community network practitioners, technical experts, community organisations, civil society actors and researchers working on digital inclusion and locally driven connectivity, according to the statement.
It said only 19% of Nigerians living in rural areas had access to the internet, leaving at least 82 million rural Nigerians offline.
“The bootcamp supports these ongoing efforts by bringing together local, regional and global actors to build practical skills for the deployment, operation and sustainability of CCCIs,” the statement said.
The organisers said the programme was designed to support implementation of the National Strategy for Community-Centred Connectivity Initiatives in Nigeria (2025-2027).
They said participants would acquire practical skills needed to deploy, operate and sustain community connectivity initiatives while strengthening the local CCC ecosystem.
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The statement said the digital divide was driven by demand-side barriers, including high device and connectivity costs and limited digital literacy, as well as supply-side challenges such as inadequate coverage, infrastructure and policy support.
It added that gender disparities also contributed to unequal access to and meaningful use of the internet.
The organisers said grassroots and institutional initiatives, including those by Fantsuam Foundation, Internet Society Nigeria, CITAD, Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) and Hello World, had contributed to the development of community-centred connectivity in Nigeria.
The statement said the Nigerian School of Community Networks (NSCN), run by CITAD between 2021 and 2025, also helped rural communities and local organisations develop the skills to create, manage and own community networks.
The bootcamp will take place at Bon Hotel Elvis in Abuja, with sessions covering Nigeria’s connectivity ecosystem and regulatory landscape, technical resources, sustainability, community ownership, gender and inclusion.
Participants will also visit the Dakwa Community Network to gain practical experience from a real-life community connectivity initiative.
The organisers said participants had earlier attended a pre-session on Sept. 9 with community-led connectivity expert Steve Song, which examined connectivity options and internet infrastructure across national and regional backhaul, first-mile, middle-mile and last-mile levels.
The bootcamp is convened by Local Access Networks (LocNet), a joint initiative of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Rhizomatica, and hosted by CITAD, with participation from MAJI, Fantsuam Foundation and Hello World.
It is supported by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through its Digital Access Programme, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and 48 percent.