Telecoms infrastructure revived in northeast Nigeria

From AHMED OBAFEMI
MAIDUGURI, (CAJ News) – THE Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) has made significant strides in reviving communication among humanitarian agencies in the volatile northeastern Nigeria.The region is afflicted by the Boko Haram terror group.ETC, a global network of organizations work together to provide shared communications services in humanitarian emergencies, has started organising training for government counterparts on information technology (IT) emergency management and for the entire humanitarian community on digital radio technology.Maintenance works have been carried out on the analogue repeater in Maiduguri to improve coverage.The ETC is now recruiting national staff to support the operation in the long-term and radio operators for the Communications Centres in the region.
Its intervention follows the destruction of communication infrastructure by the Islamic militant Boko Haram. The destruction rendered communication difficult, impacting on the humanitarian response.The humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe in the world today.Some 8,5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the
worst-affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
–CAJ News