NIGCOMSAT Advocates Homegrown Satellite Solutions to Address Insecurity, Others

Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) has called for the adoption of homegrown satellite solutions to address the challenges of banditry and terrorism facing the country.

Mrs. Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idohen managing director of NIGCOMSAT, who made the call recently in Kaduna, noted that NIGCOMSAT is fully equipped to provide these solutions to meet Nigeria’s unique security needs.

Egerton-Idohen, hinted that it was imperative to utilise domestic satellite capabilities to strengthen the country’s security architecture.

She expressed concern over the prevalent trend of security agencies seeking foreign partners for satellite assistance and queried, “Why go abroad when we have the expertise and capacity right here at NIGCOMSAT?”

Mrs Egerton-Idohen, said, “NIGCOMSAT aims to position itself as a key player in fortifying national security by leveraging its satellite resources to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance, and communication for security agencies.

“In the aspect of security, most countries prefer to use their own private satellite to address security concerns. So, one of the things we’ve been doing is to go back to our security agencies and bring them back on the table. We don’t see why they have to go to foreign satellite partners to address these concerns when NIGCOMSAT covers every single breadth of Nigeria. We have the available capacity and the expertise to give them the solution they need.

“It is a plea we have been making. We do want to work with the security agencies. We have already started working with some of them, but we think there is more opportunity to do more. We have the capacity and capability to do it. I think it is becoming important that it becomes a high priority.”

Mrs. Egerton-Idohen pledged NIGCOMSAT’s dedication to providing the nation with dependable internet services while acknowledging technology as the engine of economic growth.

The NIGCOMSAT boss urged the Kaduna State government to collaborate with the agency to provide broadband access and other solutions that could enhance various sectors, including small and medium enterprises, education, and healthcare.

Speaking on the initiatives taken by NIGCOMSAT to foster innovation in satellite technology, she said the agency was promoting the NIGCOMSAT Accelerator Programme.

The Managing Director explained that the programme was designed for early-stage companies with space-tech solutions to catapult startups into the global space-tech arena through mentorship, networking, and exposure.