African Tech Roundup - Ochuko Ogra On Backbone Connectivity Network’s (BCN) Nigeria Growth Strategy
This episode features a brief check-in with Ochuko Ogra, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer at Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), sketching Nigeria's digital infrastructure landscape.
Episode overview:
BCN has over 1,000 km of wholly-owned fibre infrastructure, primarily in the North-Central and North Eastern parts of Nigeria. Citing its stronghold in Northern Nigeria to its expanding national footprint, Ogra shares how BCN is leveraging its two decades of experience in Nigerian telecommunications to drive the country's digital transformation agenda.
Key insights:
- Nigeria currently has 8 subsea cables landing in the country
- The country's 200+ million population presents significant opportunities across retail and enterprise segments in country and to its West African neighbours
- A young, digitally-native population is driving content creation and digital service adoption
- BCN's approach emphasises customer value creation across both enterprise and end-user segments
- The company's strong presence in Northern Nigeria positions it well for national expansion
- Strategic focus encompasses education, healthcare and public sector digitalisation
- Government commitment to digital transformation includes a 92,000km fibre network initiative
- Emphasis on business collaboration over competition in emerging technology integration
Editorial Note: This podcast conversation was recorded at the fringes of NOVACOM Africa 1-to-1 Telco Summit 2024 in Franschhoek, South Africa, where African Tech Roundup's executive producer Andile Masuku attended as an independent media guest. African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight and is not affiliated with the event organisers.
Image credit: Nova Summits Limited