Nigeria has officially commenced a comprehensive review of its telecommunications policy for the first time in 26 years, as the Federal Government moves to reposition the country’s digital economy for accelerated growth, increased investments, improved connectivity, and an estimated N1.6 trillion boost in government revenue.
The planned overhaul of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 took centre stage at a high-level stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Lagos, where policymakers, telecom operators, regulators, development partners, and industry stakeholders unanimously agreed that Nigeria’s digital future can no longer be driven by an outdated regulatory framework.
The review comes amid growing concerns over major challenges slowing telecommunications expansion and digital infrastructure development across the country, including fibre optic vandalism, multiple taxation, right-of-way bottlenecks, rising operational and energy costs, insecurity, and persistent connectivity gaps in underserved communities.
Speaking at the workshop, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, stated that the telecommunications sector has evolved far beyond traditional voice communication and now serves as the backbone of economic productivity, governance, financial systems, education, healthcare, and national development.
According to her, while the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 successfully liberalised the industry and attracted massive private sector investments, the realities of today’s rapidly evolving digital economy demand a new and forward-looking framework.
“More than two decades later, Nigeria has changed. Technology has changed. The economy has changed. The expectations of citizens have changed,” she stated.
Usman stressed that the ongoing review must go beyond cosmetic amendments, insisting that Nigeria requires a modern telecommunications policy capable of supporting innovation, digital governance, economic competitiveness, and inclusive national growth.
She disclosed that the proposed framework is expected to prioritise broadband expansion, affordable digital access, infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, improved quality of service, consumer protection, and digital inclusion.
Describing the exercise as a strategic component of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, she noted that the telecommunications sector remains central to the administration’s economic transformation plans.
“The telecommunications policy review should not be seen merely as a sectoral exercise. It is a national development assignment that will shape Nigeria’s economic future,” she said.
The presidential aide further called for stronger collaboration among regulators, telecom operators, investors, state governments, and security agencies to address persistent obstacles affecting telecom infrastructure deployment nationwide.
According to her, attacks on telecommunications infrastructure and regulatory bottlenecks now pose direct threats to economic productivity and national development.
“Fibre cuts, vandalism, theft, multiple taxation, right-of-way delays, energy constraints, insecurity, and bureaucratic bottlenecks do not affect telecom operators alone. They affect businesses, hospitals, schools, financial systems, and public institutions across the country,” she warned.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, described the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 as a landmark framework that transformed Nigeria’s telecom industry by dismantling the monopoly era previously dominated by NITEL.
He recalled that before liberalisation, Nigeria had fewer than 500,000 active telephone lines serving a population of over 120 million people.
“The policy served Nigeria well. It opened the market, attracted private investment, and established a stronger independent regulatory environment,” Maida stated.
He explained that the telecommunications industry has since evolved into a sophisticated infrastructure-driven ecosystem focused on broadband penetration, fibre deployment, spectrum management, universal access, cloud services, and digital innovation.
However, he acknowledged that structural challenges continue to hinder sectoral growth and digital transformation efforts.
“These are not merely operational challenges affecting telecom operators. They are national development issues because they impact the resilience, availability, and reach of digital services,” he noted.
Maida further stated that Nigeria is now entering a more advanced digital era driven by emerging technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, satellite broadband, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“This is no longer just a telecommunications conversation. Telecommunications has become productivity infrastructure for the entire economy,” he declared.
Citing industry projections, the NCC boss disclosed that deeper digital integration could contribute an additional two percentage points to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2028, while generating nearly two million jobs and significantly expanding government revenue generation.
“The policy decisions we make today will determine Nigeria’s ability to broaden its tax base, improve public services, create jobs, and build a more inclusive digital economy,” he added.
Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at the NCC, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the stakeholders’ workshop offered industry players a critical opportunity to redesign the future of Nigeria’s communications sector in line with emerging global realities.
He noted that issues such as technological convergence, cybersecurity, data governance, digital regulation, and cross-sector collaboration now require a more adaptive and future-focused telecommunications framework.
Recommendations generated from the workshop are expected to shape the proposed National Telecommunications Policy 2026, which the Federal Government hopes will accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation journey and strengthen the country’s position as one of Africa’s leading digital economies.