The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for increased public and private sector investment in telecommunications infrastructure as rising data consumption and the growing adoption of digital technologies increase demand for faster, more reliable and resilient connectivity.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the call at the opening of the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum organised by the Commission in collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja.
Maida said the forum was established to bring regulators, investors, infrastructure providers and development partners together to examine Nigeria’s connectivity investment needs, identify barriers to infrastructure deployment and explore partnerships that could accelerate digital transformation and economic development.
He said Nigeria’s telecommunications growth over the past 25 years demonstrated the impact of sound policy, transparent regulation and investor confidence, noting that sector liberalisation and transparent licensing processes had encouraged private-sector participation and driven significant expansion in connectivity and communications services.
“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.
According to him, demand for reliable digital connectivity is continuing to rise as businesses, educational institutions, public services and individuals increasingly depend on broadband-enabled technologies.
He said the adoption of cloud-based services, digital platforms and artificial intelligence applications would further increase demand for robust 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 within one year.
He said sustaining such growth would require significant investment in network expansion, modernisation and service quality.
“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, ongoing engagements with state governments over Right of Way issues and the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as measures aimed at reducing barriers to network deployment and strengthening investor confidence.
He also stressed the Commission’s commitment to evidence-based regulation, saying improved data would enhance transparency, regulatory certainty and understanding of investment opportunities within the telecommunications sector.
Maida urged local and international investors, development finance institutions, infrastructure providers and other stakeholders to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria’s telecommunications market and partner with the Commission to expand digital connectivity.
“The investment we advance today must ultimately translate into better opportunities for Nigerians, improved access to services, and a stronger digital economy that supports sustainable national development,” he said.
He also highlighted the NCC’s collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla, saying the partnership provides independent insights into consumers’ connectivity experiences and helps identify service gaps, monitor network performance and determine areas requiring additional investment.
According to Maida, data generated through the partnership is being integrated with other market and network information to provide a broader understanding of infrastructure requirements and investment opportunities across the country.
He also highlighted the NCC’s Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).
Maida said the platform combines Ookla’s network performance data, consumer complaints and operators’ intervention reports on a single dashboard, enabling the Commission to analyse connectivity challenges by location and demographic characteristics.
He said the information would help the Commission assess whether operators’ interventions had improved consumer experience and identify areas requiring further network deployment or upgrades.
Delivering a keynote address titled, “Connectivity and Competitiveness: Digital Infrastructure as a Driver of Investment Climate and Trade,” the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said digital infrastructure had become a critical component of a country’s investment climate, competitiveness and participation in international trade.
Oduwole commended the NCC and its partners for convening the forum, saying the discussion was ultimately about the infrastructure required to produce, connect, invest and trade in a modern economy.
She noted that the nature of international trade had changed, with private networks, data centres, digital platforms and secure data systems increasingly playing critical roles in commercial transactions.
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, acknowledged gaps in connectivity coverage, quality, affordability and supporting infrastructure, saying government, industry and investors would need to work together to address them.
Westerholm said network performance and user-experience data could help identify investment needs, reduce uncertainty and strengthen investor confidence. She also 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,” she said, adding that Swedish institutions and companies could contribute technology, commercial expertise, development finance, export financing and project development to support Nigeria’s infrastructure priorities.
Also speaking, Ookla’s Vice President of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Tristan Muhader, said connectivity had evolved beyond enabling calls and internet browsing to becoming an operating layer for economic and public activity across sectors, including essential services and artificial intelligence.
Muhader said Ookla’s collaboration with the NCC provides independent, crowdsourced data on users’ connectivity experiences and helps identify areas where infrastructure investment could have the greatest impact.
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.
Adeyemo 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 examine investment opportunities and strategies for expanding Nigeria’s digital connectivity infrastructure.
