The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, has called on Nigeria to build on the achievements of its telecommunications reforms by prioritising economy-wide digital transformation as the next phase of national development.
Aboki made the call at the Policy Review Workshop on the National Telecommunications Policy 2000, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on behalf of the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.
Speaking at the event, Aboki said Nigeria’s future competitiveness would depend on how effectively it converts connectivity into innovation, productivity, digital inclusion, and economic growth.
The workshop brought together policymakers, regulators, telecommunications operators, and other industry stakeholders to assess the implementation of Nigeria’s telecommunications policy framework and chart a future direction for the sector.
Aboki described the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 as landmark reforms that transformed Nigeria’s communications landscape.
According to him, the sector has evolved from an era characterised by limited access, long waiting lists, and inadequate infrastructure into Africa’s largest telecommunications market by subscriber base.
He revealed that the telecommunications sector has attracted more than $75bn in investments over the past two decades and has emerged as one of Africa’s most dynamic digital ecosystems.
The WATRA chief noted that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector now contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and plays a vital role in supporting financial services, commerce, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and public service delivery.
While acknowledging the sector’s achievements, Aboki stressed the need to leverage connectivity to drive broader economic and social development.
“The evidence of success is already clear. The more important question is how we use that foundation to drive the next phase of economic and social transformation,” he said.
He added that future telecommunications policies should go beyond expanding network coverage and focus on creating an enabling environment for digital innovation, productivity growth, and wider digital participation.
Aboki also urged policymakers to classify broadband infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, similar to sectors such as power and transportation.
He observed that although Nigeria rapidly liberalised telecommunications services, infrastructure development has not kept pace with the growth in mobile adoption and data demand.
According to him, investments in fibre backbone networks, metropolitan fibre systems, and rural broadband infrastructure have lagged, highlighting the need for policies that encourage long-term infrastructure investment, infrastructure sharing, right-of-way reforms, and resilient broadband networks.
The WATRA Executive Secretary further stated that Nigeria’s telecommunications framework must evolve to accommodate emerging technologies and sectors, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital trade, digital manufacturing, and data governance.
Meanwhile, the NCC has commenced a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s telecommunications policy, nearly three decades after its approval, citing rapid technological advancements and changing market realities.
The Commission said the review aims to reposition the country’s telecommunications policy to reflect developments in digital services, internet governance, satellite communications, broadband expansion, and universal access while sustaining the sector’s contribution to economic growth.
As part of the review process, the NCC has proposed a new chapter focusing on broadband objectives, protection of critical national communications infrastructure, harmonisation of right-of-way charges across all levels of government, and the introduction of a one-stop permitting process for telecommunications infrastructure deployment.
