L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission’s Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has won global acclaim as it clinched the top prize at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) for its Digital Awareness Programme (DAP). The award, presented under Category C3—Access to Information and Knowledge was announced during the WSIS Prizes Winners Ceremony held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
The DAP emerged winner after receiving the highest number of votes among hundreds of global entries. The initiative, launched in 2006, is designed to bridge the digital divide in Nigeria by equipping secondary schools with state-of-the-art ICT tools and providing internet access to enhance teaching, learning, and research. To date, over 300 schools across the nation’s six geopolitical zones have benefited from the programme.
Accepting the award on behalf of Nigeria, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, described the recognition as a powerful endorsement of Nigeria’s commitment to digital inclusion.
“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts—it is an encouragement to press forward,” Dr. Maida said. “It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage.”
The WSIS platform, an initiative of the United Nations, celebrates impactful ICT-driven projects from around the world that support sustainable development goals. The NCC’s DAP stood out for its wide reach, consistency, and measurable impact in enhancing digital literacy among Nigerian youths.
In addition to the winning entry, four other Nigerian initiatives were shortlisted and recognised in the Champions Category: the Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) under Capacity Building; the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment; and the Digital Learning Initiative under e-Learning. Though they didn’t clinch the top spot, their inclusion reflected Nigeria’s growing influence in global ICT for development efforts.
WSIS remains a critical international forum for dialogue and innovation, offering a platform where stakeholders from government, private sector, academia, and civil society converge to explore how digital technologies can accelerate progress toward global development goals.
For Nigeria and the NCC, the 2025 WSIS Award signals not just recognition but a renewed call to action, to deepen digital penetration, invest in human capital, and ensure that no community is left behind in the information society.
