FG Issues Backward Integration Certificate to Gospell Digital

The federal government has formally issued a certificate of backward integration for the manufacturing of set top boxes and electricity smart meters to Gospell Digital Technology, a DTV and triple-play solution provider.

The certificate was in recognition of the company’s pioneering effort as the first indigenous company to produce the Set Top Boxes (STB) otherwise known as decoders for Nigeria’s digitisation of the broadcast industry since 2015.

Gospell, according to a statement, was among the pioneer companies licensed by the federal government under the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in its desire to ensure that all Nigerians go in digital before the deadline of June 17, 2015 Digital Switch Over (DSO).

This is coming just as the company which is an indigenous STB licensed manufacturer in West Africa with a production capacity of 1.2 million boxes annually also signed a formal meter service agreement with Eko Disco for the manufacture and supply of smart electricity prepaid meters under the National Mass Meter Project

The Group managing Director of the company, Godfrey Ohuabunwa, said it was not an easy task attaining the status after series of tests by government to ensure the quality and suitability for Nigeria.

Ohuabunwa also disclosed that GOSPEL Digital had also keyed into the National Mass Meter Project to alleviate the problems faced by households and industrial outfits in procuring smart meters.

The factory commissioned in October 2016 was set up in the Calabar Free Trade Zone with a facility obtained from the Bank of Industry.

“The is coming as a boost to the federal government’s effort towards industrialisation and digitisation of the broadcast landscape.

“Historically, electronic manufacturing in sub Saharan Africa has been largely outsourced from Europe and to foreign manufacturers most notably; the Far East.

“The current expectation is that this trend is reversing, with Nigerian based electronic manufacturing operations as evidenced with the geometric increase in consumption of smart phones, tablets, utilities metering equipment and huge uptake of mobile data for online activities,” the statement added.

Although the details of the monetary value of the agreement with Eko Disco was not disclosed, the Company’s boss explained that the factory has already commenced initial production of the meters on its SMT lines while the Set Top Boxes are ready for distribution pending when the Federal Government through the NBC restarts the digitization project suspended for the third year running and which has so far covered, Plateau state , Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Enugu, Osun and Kaduna states in the first phase

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