NCC Seeks Fresh Investment in Digital Infrastructure as Data Consumption Surges 47%

By Pan Afric Reporters

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for increased public and private sector investment in telecommunications infrastructure, warning that the rapid growth in data consumption and adoption of emerging technologies require sustained expansion and modernisation of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.

The Commission made the call at the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum organised by the NCC in collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja, according to a statement signed by Nnenna Ukoha, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, and issued on September 29, 2026.

Speaking at the opening of the forum, NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, said the event was designed to bring regulators, investors, infrastructure providers and development partners together to identify barriers to connectivity investment and explore partnerships capable of accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation.

Maida said Nigeria’s telecommunications sector had demonstrated the impact of sound policy, transparent regulation and investor confidence over the past 25 years, noting that 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,” he said.

The NCC chief 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 in one year. He said sustaining the growth would require substantial 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,” Maida said.

He cited measures including the telecommunications tariff adjustment approved in 2025, engagements with state governments over Right of Way issues and the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure as steps aimed at reducing deployment barriers and strengthening investor confidence.

Maida also urged local and international investors, development finance institutions, infrastructure providers and other industry stakeholders to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, stressing that investment must ultimately translate into improved access and economic opportunities for citizens.

“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.

The NCC boss further highlighted the Commission’s partnership with Swedfund and Ookla, saying independent data on network performance and consumer experience was helping the regulator identify service gaps, monitor network performance and determine areas requiring additional investment.

He also disclosed that the Commission’s Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed with Innovations for Poverty Action, integrates Ookla network-performance data, consumer complaints and operators’ intervention reports into a single dashboard to analyse connectivity challenges by location and demographic characteristics.

“This helps us investigate service problems and assess whether operators’ interventions have improved consumers’ experience. It also gives us a more useful picture of where further deployment or network upgrades may be needed,” Maida said.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said digital infrastructure had become central to the investment climate, competitiveness and Nigeria’s participation in international trade.

Speaking on the theme, “Connectivity and Competitiveness: Digital Infrastructure as a Driver of Investment Climate and Trade,” Oduwole said the modern economy requires infrastructure capable of enabling production, connectivity, investment and trade, noting that private networks, data centres, digital platforms and secure data systems were increasingly critical to commercial transactions.

The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, identified gaps in connectivity coverage, quality, affordability and supporting infrastructure, calling for closer collaboration among government, industry and investors. She also highlighted energy, cybersecurity and digital skills as key components of a sustainable connectivity ecosystem.

“Sweden is interested in deepening commercial and investment relations with Nigeria, particularly in digitalisation and connectivity,” Westerholm said, adding that Swedish institutions and companies could contribute technology, commercial expertise, development finance, export financing and project development.

Also speaking, Tristan Muhader, VP of Sales, Middle East & Africa, Ookla, described connectivity as increasingly central to economic and public activity, particularly as digital services and Artificial Intelligence expand across sectors.

Muhader said Ookla’s collaboration with the NCC provides independent, crowdsourced intelligence on the actual experience of consumers, helping to identify where infrastructure investment could have the greatest impact and assess the effect of network disruptions and recovery.

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 examine investment opportunities and strategies for expanding digital connectivity across Nigeria.