NCC begins review of 26-year-old Nigeria telecoms policy

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced a two-day Stakeholders’ Policy Review Workshop in Lagos to reassess the National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) 2000 and reposition Nigeria’s digital economy for emerging technological realities.

The event also featured the unveiling of an ambitious economic targets from the proposed review of the NTP, including N1.6 trillion in additional tax revenue and nearly two million new jobs by 2028.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said Nigeria’s telecommunications sector had evolved far beyond the assumptions that shaped the National Telecommunications Policy 2000.

According to him, the sector has moved from a liberalisation phase dominated by limited telephone access and market reforms to an advanced digital ecosystem driven by broadband, artificial intelligence, 5G, satellite broadband, cloud infrastructure and digital services.

“When the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 was introduced, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was at a very different stage of development,” Maida said.

He noted that prior to reforms, the sector was managed by the defunct NITEL, with fewer than 500,000 active telephone lines serving over 120 million Nigerians.

He said the policy played a critical role in opening the market to private investment, promoting competition and strengthening regulation through the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, leading to rapid expansion in connectivity across the country.

He, however, said the sector now faces more complex challenges, including fibre cuts, infrastructure vandalism, high energy costs, multiple taxation, permitting delays and persistent rural connectivity gaps.

“These are not just operational issues for operators; they are national development issues because they affect the quality, resilience and reach of digital services across the economy,” he said.

According to him, telecommunications is linked to all aspects of society, describing it as “productivity infrastructure for the entire economy,” supporting commerce, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, financial services and public administration.

The NCC boss stressed that the review of the telecommunications policy must preserve core principles such as competition, universal access, independent regulation and consumer protection while developing a modern framework capable of supporting innovation, investment, resilience and broadband expansion.

Delivering the keynote, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, said the policy review was not merely a technical exercise but a governance and national development imperative.

She said policies must move beyond written documents to become practical instruments that deliver measurable outcomes.

“A policy is not merely a document. It is the expression of a country’s priorities, the framework through which public institutions organise action, and the basis on which government choices are translated into measurable outcomes,” she said.

According to her, clear policy direction gives regulators, investors and institutions certainty, while weak or fragmented policy frameworks often lead to duplication of effort, blurred mandates and poor implementation.

She described telecommunications as an enabling platform that underpins virtually every sector of national life, including digital trade, fintech, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and public service delivery.

She said that a revised telecommunications policy must address broader issues beyond networks and operators, including national productivity, inclusion, digital governance, infrastructure resilience, investment, cybersecurity and consumer protection.

She also urged stronger collaboration among federal and sub-national governments, regulators, operators, investors and other stakeholders to address bottlenecks such as rights of way, taxation, digital inclusion, infrastructure deployment and cybersecurity.

“The NCC may regulate the industry, but the success of telecommunications policy also depends on the actions of many other public and private actors,” she said.

Usman said the revised policy should be accompanied by a clear implementation roadmap outlining timelines, responsibilities, funding requirements, performance indicators and reporting mechanisms.

Also, former Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Ernest Ndukwe, commended the commission for initiating the review, saying the telecommunications industry had undergone a massive transformation over the past 26 years.

Ndukwe observed that while the original policy laid the foundation for telecom sector liberalisation, emerging realities such as Fifth Generation (5G) networks, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services now require fresh policy directions to keep Nigeria globally competitive.

On his part, Oladojo Olawumi of the Special Duties Unit in the office of the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration in building a secure and inclusive digital economy.

He advocated policies that would support digital literacy, local content development, emerging technologies, and innovation-driven enterprises across the country.

Representatives of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission also highlighted the importance of data privacy and digital trust in the evolving digital ecosystem, stressing that the protection of citizens’ data must remain a national priority through stronger regulations, cybersecurity frameworks, and responsible data governance.

Technical sessions at the workshop focus on the evolution of the National Telecommunications Policy, strategies for bridging the digital divide, building a resilient and secure digital future, global best practices in telecommunications regulation, and stakeholder feedback on the commission’s policy proposals.

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