Connecting the Unconnected: CITAD’s Community-Led Hubs Transforms Rural Access in Northern Nigeria

In Nigeria’s rural and underserved communities, access to reliable internet remains a significant challenge. These digital gaps often prevent residents, especially youth, women, and students from accessing opportunities in education, economic empowerment, and civic engagement. In response to this, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has been at the forefront of promoting community-centered connectivity initiatives, empowering rural populations through the deployment of digital hubs and community networks.
Through strategic partnerships with organizations such as Hello World (HW) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), CITAD has facilitated the deployment of multiple community-owned and operated internet hubs across Bauchi State, notably in Itas, Hanafari, and Jama’are communities and Tungan Ashere in FCT.
On September 29, 2024, CITAD officially handed over the Hello World Digital Hub in Itas to the local community. Constructed through the efforts and contributions of local residents and facilitated by CITAD with HW’s support, the hub is designed to provide affordable access to e-learning solutions, digital services, and online opportunities. A Community Support Officer (CSO) appointed by the residents oversees the day-to-day operations, ensuring sustainability and community ownership.
The hub stands as a symbol of collaboration and self-reliance, bringing internet access to a community previously excluded from the digital age.
On December 11, 2024, CITAD launched the Tungan Ashere Hello World Hub, its fourth digital deployment in 2024. This initiative benefitted from lessons learned in earlier deployments, particularly through the reuse of existing ICT equipment, including solar panels and batteries already available in the community’s ICT center. These contributions sped up installation and reduced costs.
The community provided land, labor, building materials, and hospitality, demonstrating deep ownership of the project. The unveiling was attended by stakeholders from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), media, and representatives of neighboring communities further expanding awareness and support for CITAD’s grassroots connectivity model.
Hanafari, a rural community in Jama’are Local Government Area, was the first to benefit from CITAD’s independently funded and deployed community network, a milestone achievement. Home to over 15,000 residents, Hanafari had long been underserved and digitally isolated. Today, thanks to the community network hub, students can register for exams without traveling long distances, women access economic opportunities, and young people explore new learning tools.
The hub has become a digital lifeline, not only for Hanafari residents but also for nearby villages. It exemplifies how locally-led solutions, when paired with technology, can drastically reduce marginalization and create pathways to empowerment.
Following Hanafari’s success, CITAD, with support from the FCDO, facilitated the deployment of a second community network in Jama’are town. The goal is to strengthen local digital capacity, improve civic engagement, and open access to services that were once far out of reach for the local population.
Each hub and community network deployed by CITAD reflects a replicable, sustainable model for addressing digital exclusion. These initiatives do more than provide internet, they create spaces for innovation, access to digital rights, education, and economic upliftment.
By ensuring that communities not only benefit from but also contribute to and manage these hubs, CITAD is building a culture of digital ownership and inclusion, giving rural Nigerians a chance to participate fully in the digital age.