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Nigeria Needs Broadband Connectivity – Van Schalkwyk
Jacques Van Schalkwyk, general manager Sub-Saharan Africa at Intel Corp has emphasized the need for government to pay attention to broadband connectivity by making sure that the right regulatory environment is put in place with the right spectrums and bandwidths being allocated. He said also that the right policies should be made around education.
Schalkwyk, observed the hunger and high desire for the adoption of new technologies in Nigeria and said Intel as a matter of fact is ready to collaborate a lot more with both the private and public sector in a bid to jointly tackle some of the big issues than what had been seen in the past. Looking at it from the usage models perspective, Schalkwyk said “you will observe that this is also evolving. For instance, media delivery over the Internet is becoming a reality.”
“Nigeria is increasingly becoming a more focused usable society as well for people to communicate with relatives abroad or business people to exchange ideas. But there are some challenges like credit systems being in state of instability. However, there is somewhere to go. In general, I think the feedback I am getting is that the latest technologies are being implemented; there is really the intent for that change to happen. And people are striving step by step forward to drive change”, Schalkwyk disclosed
Speaking on competition, he said mobile is going very fast and that mobile technology market will continue to grow. The overall growth even in a fairly tight environment and the available market according to him is becoming impressive and promising. He said this year was a particularly tough year everywhere in the world but, there have been good signs of recovery, even in Nigeria believing that the growth and transformation are as a result of the adoption of technology all over the world.
Van Schalkwyk explained Intel’s involvement in corporate social responsibility and said there is a component of corporate social responsibility in Intel as it is essentially a company that is concerned about the well-being of the communities where it operates. At the same time, he said if you look at the activities they are involved in, you notice they are drivers for ICT adoption and growth. “At the end of the day, ICT adoption means more PCs being sought. So I think it is creating the man and also doing the right thing. It is good business because it has to do with human development.” he said.
Keeping afloat in the era of economic recession, Schalkwyk foresees demand especially in the consumer market coming back worldwide saying there are two drivers of this new development. First, according to him are the new users coming to the Internet, and that is what we mean by connecting the next one billion people; people who never owned laptops before, who are buying new laptops into their homes.
Another component, he said obviously is a very fresh market. There are a number of reasons for people to do that which are hinged on usage models, the process in demand behind those usage models. Just look at the digital camera for instance; every year new cameras come with higher mega pixels. Video conferencing is becoming a reality. People are skyping. We shall continue to see new people come into the Internet. We shall continue to see new usage models evolving for that niche technology. Intel will continue to invest in future technologies.
How do you react to Intel’s domination of the market?
We certainly do not see ourself intensely dominating but we do compete rather fairly. And as we drive new technologies, we want to be leaders, help in developing communities and continue to sponsor programmes that will encourage and promote technology adoption.
How committed is government in all of these partnerships?
Like every other place in the world, government has so much money to spend at any given time. Everybody would want to have a government that is rich enough. With my experience in Nigeria working with the government, it is not deliberate for the government to delay in the adoption of technology. One area I think we have to look at and which needs attention and acceleration, is broadband connectivity. We should make sure that the right regulatory environment is put in place and that the right spectrums and bandwidths are allocated. We should make sure too that the right policies are made around education. Those are some of the challenges that cannot be tackled overnight.
How successful is the Computer for All Nigerians initiative (CANi)?
CANi is successful and continues to run; I can’t be specific about the volumes behind it. The programme is up and running. But I don’t think that should be an indicator of the slowdown within technology adoption because we see a share of our business which was traditionally a government thing shifting; and of course the revenue shifting towards the consumer. At the end of the day, the CANi products will end up in the hands of the consumer.
At the time CANi was launched, there were no PC retail shops in the country but all that has changed now as you can now see retail shops selling PCs. This you couldn’t see about four years ago. It has now become a consumer market. And if that is the end result then, CANi has done a good job.
Intel is always upgrading its products, why is this so?
Technology has increased in performance and the price over the years has actually dropped. Certainly, new technologies have benefited the consumer. The reason why we are still in business is because we bring out new technologies. Companies who do not innovate, who do not maintain leadership, how can they expect competition, which is the core of business? And there is a specific need for that evolution. There is an absolute need to continuously innovate.
Nigeria and Israel yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in research, technology and innovation as both countries pledged to expand partnerships that will drive entrepreneurship, commercialise research and accelerate economic development.
The commitment was made at the closing ceremony and innovation showcase of the I-FAIR Cohort of the Israel-Nigeria Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (I-FAIR) in Abuja, where the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, announced that funding had been secured for the fifth edition of the programme, scheduled to begin in October 2026.
Freeman described I-FAIR as a practical demonstration of the growing partnership between both countries, saying it had enabled Nigerian innovators to develop local solutions to national challenges through Israeli mentorship and expertise.
He said, “This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It’s been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators develop Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation.”
The envoy noted that the initiative had brought together government, academia, investors, engineers and entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into businesses capable of creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
Announcing the continuation of the programme, he said, “I am so proud to stand here today and announce that we have secured with our partners funding for I-FAIR 5 and I-FAIR 5 will be launching in October 2026.”
Freeman said the relationship between Nigeria and Israel had grown significantly over the past four and a half years through cooperation in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, education, water management and technology.
He expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between both countries would unlock greater opportunities for startups, research institutions and businesses.
According to him, “Israel brings experience and innovation, technology, agriculture, healthcare, cyber security, security and water management. Nigeria brings extraordinary talent, creativity, entrepreneurship and one of the most dynamic young populations anywhere in the world.”
He added, “I have no doubt that the best chapters of the relationship between Israel and Nigeria are still ahead of us.”
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Architect Sonny Echono, also reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to strengthening research and innovation through strategic partnerships with Israel and other stakeholders.
He said the I-FAIR programme aligned with Nigeria’s priorities in food security, agriculture, medicine, technology, clean energy and the circular economy, adding that TETFund would continue supporting initiatives that promote research commercialisation.
Echono stressed that collaboration between government, academia and industry remained critical to translating research findings into products and services.
He said, “It is this critical linkage, especially between science, engineering, technology and innovation, and the productive sector that is critical for translating R&D results and inventions into finished products for socio-economic benefits of our people.”
He disclosed that TETFund was working with partners to establish innovation facilities in about 60 tertiary institutions and had created a student innovation fund that would provide up to ₦50 million to students with commercially viable ideas.
The TETFund boss also announced plans for a National Research Fair later this year, where innovators would showcase products before policymakers, financial institutions and investors to attract funding and commercial partnerships.
Paying tribute to the outgoing Israeli ambassador, Echono described Freeman as a strong bridge between Nigeria and Israel.
He said, “Nigeria is grateful for your service. You have been a strong bridge between our two countries.”
Earlier, Head of Programmes at Innov8 Hub, Tolulope Aina, said sustainable economic development depended on building an innovation ecosystem that transforms ideas into successful businesses.
She noted that Innov8 Hub had supported more than 3,000 innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs, helping them convert research into products, startups and investment-ready ventures.
Aina said, “Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of brilliant minds, what we need are stronger pathways that help those ideas become products, businesses, and opportunities that improve life.”
She thanked the Embassy of Israel and TETFund for their continued support in strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
According to her, “Building an innovation-driven economy requires collaboration, long-term commitment and shared purpose.”
Chief Judges drawn from countries across the African continent have resolved to collaborate and support measures aimed at ensuring the success of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through an efficient, reliable and predictable dispute resolution system.
They agreed to explore ways to harmonize disputes resolution mechanisms in the continent with a view to making it easier and faster to resolve commercial disputes.
The resolutions formed part of the decisions taken at the third Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya between June 18 and 19.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Mr. Tobi Soniyi, the African judicial leaders were of the view that commercial confidence depends largely on legal certainty.
They emphasised how structured Alternative Disputes Resolution could enhance commercial justice, protect the business environment and support the AfCFTA.
In her contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun urged called on African judiciaries to proactively prepare for emerging challenges to disputes resolution in the continent.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, who served as Co-Chair of the session on “Financial sector disputes, tax certainty and ADR: Building commercial confidence in Africa, noted that AfCFTA represents one of the most ambitious economic integration projects in modern history.
The CJN, who stressed the importance of a proactive Judiciary to the success of AfCFTA, warned that its success would depend, not only on trade protocols, tariff reductions and economic policies, but also on the strength and reliability of the institutions that support commerce.
Justice Kekere-Ekun urged her colleagues to examine how judiciaries in the continent, central banks, tax administrations and ADR institutions could work together to reduce uncertainty, prevent disputes, strengthen investor confidence and support the realization of AfCFTA’s objectives.
She envisaged the growth of intra-African trade to inevitably generate cross-border tax disputes; foreign exchange disputes; banking and payment system disputes; digital commerce disputes; enforcement of arbitral awards; recognition of foreign judgments; and disputes arising from regional supply chains.
The CJN, who said “African Judiciaries must proactively prepare for these emerging realities,” challenged African judicial leaders on the importance of disputes prevention mechanism.
She stated that modern commercial justice must move beyond the traditional focus on disputes resolution after conflicts arise.
“The most successful commercial systems are not those that generate the highest volumes of litigation but those that reduce the need for litigation,” she added.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, who stressed the importance of ADR, cautioned against seeing ADR as merely an alternative procedure.
She said ADR should rather be considered as a strategic tool for reducing transaction costs, preserving commercial relationships, enhancing investor confidence, reducing court congestion, improving ease of doing business and strengthening commercial certainty.
Sharing the Nigerian experiences, Justice Kekere-Ekun cited the recent decision by the Nigerian Supreme Court in the case of EMTS v. AFDIN Ventures Ltd. & Ors. (2026), which reaffirmed important principles of commercial certainty, including respect for arbitration agreements; recognition that consent may be inferred from conduct; judicial restraint from re-litigating arbitral disputes on the merits; and the importance of finality in arbitral awards.
According to her, the decision reinforced Nigeria’s position as an arbitration-supportive jurisdiction.
She identified timely resolution of tax disputes as an important factor in ensuring certainty and recommended Nigerian tax disputes resolution mechanism which she said “offers useful example of institutional reforms that support commercial certainty.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun recommended the Nigeria’s Tax Appeal Tribunal model, which she described as one of Nigeria’s most significant innovations.
According to Mr. Soniyi, Justice Kekere-Ekun’s message to his brother justices is clear: building an African commercial environment in which investors, businesses, regulators and citizens can transact across borders with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their rights will be protected and their obligations fairly enforced.
The summit advanced the goals of the African Chief Justices Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF) to harmonize jurisprudence and establish common enforcement standards across the continent.
The CJN was, on the last day of the summit, nominated by the Chief Justice of Kenya as the Vice Chairperson of the Africa Chief Justice ADR Forum with effect from August 1, 2026. The nomination was ratified by the forum.
Twenty-one former Almajiri learners and street children are set to graduate as certified technology technicians under the Almajiri-to-Tech Initiative, a programme designed to equip vulnerable children with digital and entrepreneurial skills while addressing youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity.
The pioneer graduation ceremony is scheduled to hold on July 29 in Abuja, where the graduates will demonstrate practical skills, including assembling computers and drones, before government officials, development partners, members of the diplomatic community and the media.
The initiative was founded by technology education advocate, Mr Tim Akano, in partnership with New Horizons Nigeria, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training organisation.
According to the organisers, the programme seeks to provide practical solutions to the growing challenge of out-of-school children by combining technology education, entrepreneurship, mentorship and character development.
The organisers said the initiative had transformed children who previously had little or no exposure to technology into technicians capable of repairing laptops, desktop computers, mobile phones, power banks, electric fans, microwave ovens and other electronic devices.
They explained that the participants also received entrepreneurship training, mentorship, transportation support, daily meals, learning materials and professional work tools during the programme.
The organisers added that religious instructors from the participants’ respective faiths regularly visited the trainees to provide moral guidance, describing character development as a critical component of the initiative.
Unlike many vocational interventions that end with the presentation of certificates, the organisers said graduates of the programme would receive start-up support, while outstanding participants would be provided with professional work tools to establish their own businesses.
They also disclosed plans to launch a business directory and customer contact platform that would enable individuals, businesses and organisations to engage the services of the graduates.
Speaking on the initiative, Akano, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New Horizons System Solutions Ltd., said the programme was conceived as a practical response to the challenges of youth unemployment, insecurity, poverty and irregular migration.
“You do not end migration by building higher walls. You do not defeat insecurity by relying only on military force, and you do not end poverty by preaching patriotism.
“You solve these challenges by building hope where hopelessness exists, equipping young people with practical skills, and creating opportunities where they live,” he said.
According to him, the pilot programme has demonstrated that children who have experienced neglect and exclusion can become innovators, entrepreneurs and contributors to national development when provided with quality education and opportunities.
He said one of the trainees, Mohammed, who arrived from the Niger Republic without speaking English, had acquired sufficient language proficiency within months to communicate confidently with customers while carrying out computer and electronics repairs.
Another participant, Fatima, discovered her interest in poetry during the programme and produced a poem celebrating New Horizons Nigeria, reflecting the broader personal development fostered by the initiative.
The organisers said the programme was inspired by concerns over the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, estimated at about 30 million, and the broader global challenge of millions of children without access to education.
They argued that investing in digital skills, entrepreneurship and mentorship for vulnerable children offers a sustainable approach to addressing poverty, insecurity, youth unemployment and violent extremism.
As part of efforts to sustain the programme, the foundation said it had established a fully equipped workshop known as “The Almajiri Republic Workshop” in Wuse II, Abuja.
The workshop, according to the organisers, will serve as a commercial repair centre where graduates can provide computer and electronics repair services while continuing to strengthen their technical expertise.
The foundation called on the Presidency, federal and state governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), members of the National Assembly, development partners, donor agencies, corporate organisations, civil society groups, religious institutions and other stakeholders to support the expansion of the initiative across Nigeria.
It maintained that scaling up the programme could transform millions of vulnerable children into skilled professionals capable of contributing to economic growth while reducing poverty, unemployment and insecurity.
The organisers said local and international media organisations, including CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and ARISE News, had been invited to witness the graduation ceremony and the practical demonstrations by the pioneer graduates.
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