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Table 21<br />

Indica<strong>to</strong>r 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009<br />

Per capita ODA(<strong>of</strong>ficial development<br />

assistance) <strong>to</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong>(US$)<br />

3.0 1.47 1.39 2.38 2.44 4.49 48.94 81.67 81.67 NA NA<br />

Debt service as a percentage <strong>of</strong><br />

exports <strong>of</strong> goods and services<br />

Sources:<br />

(i) Central Bank <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong> (2006)<br />

(ii) Central Bank <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong> (2007)<br />

22.3 8.2 12.4 7.8 5.9 4.5 15.2 11.0 1.3 0.5 NA<br />

(iii) World Bank (2006), World Development Indica<strong>to</strong>rs<br />

From the table above, the positive result is that the<br />

debt service ratio has fallen from 15.2% <strong>of</strong> exports<br />

in 2005 <strong>to</strong> only 0.5% in 2008 and the debt relief<br />

gains accruing from the gains have been<br />

channelled in<strong>to</strong> the various projects carried out by<br />

MDAs covered by this report.<br />

Target 8e: Cooperating with Pharmaceutical<br />

Companies <strong>to</strong> Provide Access <strong>to</strong> Affordable<br />

Essential Drugs<br />

The obligation <strong>of</strong> development partners <strong>to</strong><br />

cooperate with pharmaceutical companies in<br />

providing access <strong>to</strong> affordable essential drugs in<br />

<strong>Nigeria</strong> <strong>to</strong> tackle HIV/AIDS, malaria and<br />

tuberculosis was widely appreciated and seems <strong>to</strong><br />

be on the increase.<br />

Target 8.F – Growth <strong>of</strong> Access <strong>to</strong> Information<br />

and Communications Technology in Cooperation<br />

with the Private Sec<strong>to</strong>r<br />

In 1990 there were only 0.3 telephone lines per<br />

100 people in <strong>Nigeria</strong>. However, following the<br />

deregulation <strong>of</strong> the telecommunications sec<strong>to</strong>r in<br />

2001, foreign investment in <strong>Nigeria</strong>'s<br />

telecommunications sec<strong>to</strong>r increased from US$2.1<br />

billion in 2002 <strong>to</strong> US$8.1 billion in 2006. This has<br />

significantly expanded infrastructure and activity<br />

in the sec<strong>to</strong>r. The number <strong>of</strong> GSM (Global System<br />

for Mobile Communications) lines increased from<br />

0.27 million in 2001 <strong>to</strong> more than 1.57 million<br />

lines in 2002. The number <strong>of</strong> lines doubled again<br />

in 2003 <strong>to</strong> 3.1 million lines and tripled in 2004,<br />

reaching 9.2 million. In 2006, the number <strong>of</strong> lines<br />

almost doubled the 2005 figure <strong>of</strong> 18 million <strong>to</strong><br />

reach 32 million. Thus, access <strong>to</strong> cellular phones<br />

increased from only two out <strong>of</strong> every 100 people<br />

in <strong>Nigeria</strong> in 2000 <strong>to</strong> nearly 42 per 100 in 2008. If<br />

this trend were <strong>to</strong> continue, 56.10 per cent <strong>of</strong> the<br />

population would have access <strong>to</strong> a cellular phone<br />

by 2015.<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong>ns using the Internet<br />

increased from 0.6 in every 100 people in 2000 <strong>to</strong><br />

15.86 in 2008. Projections for 2010 <strong>to</strong> 2015 show<br />

an average <strong>of</strong> 11.35 users for every 100 persons,<br />

rising <strong>to</strong> 13.90 by 2015. Thus, although access <strong>to</strong><br />

the Internet increased between 2000 and 2008,<br />

access rates are still very low in <strong>Nigeria</strong>. Overall,<br />

the involvement <strong>of</strong> private sec<strong>to</strong>r opera<strong>to</strong>rs in the<br />

telecommunications sec<strong>to</strong>r has brought<br />

competition, innovation and wider coverage. The<br />

country‘s teledensity is far above the International<br />

Telecommunication Union (ITU) minimum<br />

standard <strong>of</strong> 1:100. It exceeds that <strong>of</strong> Ghana (8<br />

percent) and India (26.6 percent). Apart from<br />

bringing about wider coverage, the involvement <strong>of</strong><br />

the private sec<strong>to</strong>r has created direct jobs for over<br />

12,000 people employed by the GSM opera<strong>to</strong>rs<br />

alone while another three million indirect<br />

employment opportunities have been created<br />

through the operation <strong>of</strong> franchise and retail<br />

outlets for access, SIM and recharge cards as well<br />

as sales <strong>of</strong> handset. They have resulted in a higher<br />

contribution <strong>of</strong> the country‘s GDP.<br />

Page 50 <strong>of</strong> 150

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