Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
NIGCOMSAT, Nigeria’s national satellite communication company, is aiming to boost its annual revenue to N8 billion within the next three years. Despite having a significant amount of its satellite capacity unused, the company’s Managing Director, Jane Egerton-Idehen, announced at a recent Lagos meeting that NIGCOMSAT plans to achieve this goal by partnering with the private sector.
Egerton-Idehen revealed that while broadband is NIGCOMSAT’s most profitable service, only 7% of its capacity is currently utilized, leaving 93% idle. She pointed to a successful initiative, “Project 774,” which connected 45 local government secretariats in just two months, demonstrating the company’s capability to deliver services quickly to remote areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable.
The company’s strategy focuses on using channel partners and resellers to expand its reach to various sectors, including education, healthcare, and government. Egerton-Idehen noted that NIGCOMSAT’s role is to provide the service backbone, while partners will handle market distribution. She cited other successful government-owned enterprises, such as Egypt’s NALSAT and Nigeria LNG, as examples of profitable state-owned companies.
However, some stakeholders expressed concern that NIGCOMSAT is still seen as a government agency rather than a commercial player. They also highlighted the growing competition from international providers like Starlink. In response, some attendees suggested that the government should mandate ministries and agencies to use NIGCOMSAT’s services. Egerton-Idehen assured potential partners of technical support and flexible collaboration models, emphasizing that this partnership is key to achieving the ambitious revenue target.
