NCC seeks greater investment in digital infrastructure
ABUJA — The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for increased public and private sector investment in telecommunications infrastructure to accelerate broadband expansion, improve service quality and support Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call on Tuesday at the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum organised by the commission in collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja.
Maida said the forum was designed to bring together regulators, investors, infrastructure providers and development partners to examine investment requirements for expanding connectivity, identify barriers to infrastructure deployment and explore partnerships to accelerate digital transformation.
He said Nigeria’s telecommunications sector had recorded significant growth over the past 25 years, attributing the development to policy measures, regulatory reforms and increased private sector participation.
“The experience of the last two and a half decades underscores the importance of creating an enabling environment for investment. As a regulator, the Commission remains committed to facilitating investment while ensuring consumer protection and promoting fair competition,” Maida said.
He said demand for reliable digital connectivity was increasing as individuals, businesses, educational institutions and public services increasingly depended on broadband-enabled technologies.
According to him, the adoption of cloud-based services, digital platforms and artificial intelligence applications would further increase demand for telecommunications infrastructure.
Maida disclosed that data consumption in Nigeria rose from approximately 1.13 million terabytes in July 2025 to about 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, representing an increase of nearly 47 per cent.
He said sustaining the growth would require investment in network expansion, modernisation and quality-of-service improvements.
“The investment challenge before us is not merely one of expanding coverage. It is also about ensuring that those already connected enjoy better service quality, improved user experiences, and infrastructure capable of supporting future technologies,” he said.
The NCC chief executive cited the telecommunications tariff adjustment approved in 2025, engagements with state governments on Right of Way issues and the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure as measures aimed at supporting network deployment and investment.
He also said the commission was strengthening evidence-based regulation to improve transparency, regulatory certainty and understanding of investment opportunities in the telecommunications sector.
Maida called on local and international investors, development finance institutions, infrastructure providers and other industry stakeholders to explore opportunities in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
He said investments in digital connectivity should ultimately improve access to services and support economic development.
The NCC chief executive also commended Swedfund and Ookla for their partnership with the commission, saying the collaboration had contributed to data-driven decision-making and a better understanding of connectivity conditions across the country.
He said data generated through the partnership was being integrated with market and network information to provide a broader picture of infrastructure needs and investment opportunities.
Maida also highlighted the NCC’s Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).
He said the platform combines Ookla’s network performance data, consumer complaints and operators’ intervention reports to support analysis of connectivity issues by location and demographic characteristics.
In her keynote address, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, commended the NCC and its partners for organising the forum.
Speaking on the theme, “Connectivity and Competitiveness: Digital Infrastructure as a Driver of Investment Climate and Trade,” Oduwole said digital infrastructure was increasingly important to investment, competitiveness and international trade.
She noted that modern trade increasingly depended on private networks, data centres, digital platforms and secure data systems.
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, said there were gaps in connectivity coverage, quality, affordability and supporting infrastructure, adding that government, industry and investors needed to work together to address them.
Westerholm identified energy, cybersecurity and digital skills as important components of a sustainable connectivity ecosystem.
“Sweden is interested in deepening commercial and investment relations with Nigeria, particularly in digitalisation and connectivity. Swedish institutions and companies could contribute technology, commercial expertise, development finance, export financing and project development to support Nigerian infrastructure priorities,” she said.
Also speaking, Ookla’s Vice-President of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Tristan Muhader, said connectivity had become an important component of economic and public activities across sectors.
Muhader said Ookla’s collaboration with the NCC provided data on users’ connectivity experiences and could help identify areas requiring infrastructure investment.
Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, the Director of the National Frequency Management Council, Adetunji Adeyemo, said reliable, affordable, resilient and accessible digital infrastructure was essential to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said the Federal Government had identified infrastructure, policy and innovation, entrepreneurship and capital as key strategic priorities.
The two-day forum brings together policymakers, investors, development finance institutions, telecommunications operators, infrastructure providers, technology companies and development partners to explore investment opportunities in digital connectivity across Nigeria.
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