Pantami Tasks MTN On Additional Investments As NIN-SIM Linkage Tops 85m

Minister of communications and digital rconomy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has urged MTN Group and its local subsidiary, MTN Nigeria to continue to invest in the country and support the Nigeria National Broadband Plan 2020-2025.

Pantami made this call in a meeting with MTN Group chairman, Mcebisi Jonas and president and CEO, Ralph Mupita on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday.

The meeting discussed developments in the telecoms sector in Nigeria, including the country’s progress in updating subscribers’ SIM registration records with national identification numbers (NINs).The minister informed the MTN officials that Nigeria has linked over 85 million NINs to subscriber identification module (SIM) cards on the national identity management system (NIMS).

He added that they will serve as the foundation of the country’s digital economy, which he noted was beginning to scale. The talks also covered the development of 5G services in Nigeria and work to extend broadband connectivity to more people in rural areas.

Mupita updated the minister on MTN Nigeria’s contribution of servers to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which is part of MTN’s efforts to accelerate NIN registration.