Nigeria begins a telecom policy overhaul aimed at boosting jobs, digital growth and generating N1.6tn in tax revenue

The Presidency has commenced a bold overhaul of Nigeria’s telecommunications policy for the first time in 26 years, signalling a major shift in the country’s digital economy strategy aimed at creating nearly two million jobs and unlocking an estimated N1.6tn in additional tax revenue.

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The proposed review of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 dominated discussions at a high-level policy workshop organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos on Wednesday.

Government officials, telecom operators, regulators and development partners at the event agreed that Nigeria’s digital economy could no longer operate effectively under what many described as an outdated regulatory framework.

The telecom policy overhaul comes as authorities confront mounting threats to digital infrastructure and connectivity expansion, including fibre vandalism, multiple taxation, right-of-way bottlenecks, rising energy costs and widening connectivity gaps.

Delivering the keynote address, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said the existing telecommunications policy no longer reflects the realities of a rapidly evolving digital economy.

According to Usman, the telecommunications sector has moved far beyond traditional voice communication and now drives virtually every aspect of national economic activity.

“The National Telecommunications Policy 2000 was developed at a defining moment in Nigeria’s reform journey. It supported liberalisation, attracted investment and transformed telecommunications into one of Nigeria’s most dynamic economic sectors,” she said.

She, however, stressed that Nigeria now faces a different technological and economic landscape.

“More than two decades later, Nigeria has changed. Technology has changed. The economy has changed. The expectations of citizens have changed,” Usman stated.

The presidential aide said the review must deliver more than minor amendments and instead establish a modern framework capable of driving economic competitiveness, digital governance and national development.

“A policy is not merely a document. It is the expression of a country’s priorities and the basis through which government choices become measurable outcomes,” she added.

Usman warned that obsolete policies often create duplication, weak implementation and limited impact across critical sectors.

She identified broadband expansion, affordability of digital services, cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, innovation, digital inclusion, consumer protection and quality of service as major priorities for the new framework.

According to her, the review aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s broader economic priorities.

“The telecommunications policy review should not be approached only as a sectoral obligation. It should be understood as a national development assignment,” she said.

Usman also called for stronger collaboration between regulators, telecom operators, investors, security agencies and state governments, particularly in addressing fibre deployment challenges and infrastructure vandalism.

“Fibre cuts, vandalism, theft, multiple taxation, right-of-way bottlenecks, delayed approvals, energy constraints and insecurity do not affect operators alone. They affect businesses, schools, hospitals, financial systems and public institutions,” she warned.

Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, said the telecommunications industry had undergone massive transformation since the liberalisation policy introduced in 2000.

He recalled that before liberalisation, the sector was dominated by NITEL with fewer than 500,000 active lines serving a population of over 120 million Nigerians.

“The policy served its time well. It helped open the market, attract private investment and establish stronger independent regulation,” Maida said.

He noted that the industry had evolved into an infrastructure-driven ecosystem centred on broadband rollout, fibre expansion, spectrum planning and universal digital access.

Despite those gains, Maida admitted that several structural challenges continue to slow sectoral growth.

“These are not merely operational challenges for operators. They are national development issues because they affect the resilience and reach of digital services,” he said.

The NCC boss described Nigeria’s current stage as an “advanced regulatory frontier” driven by technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, satellite broadband, Internet of Things and cybersecurity.

“This is no longer a narrow telecommunications conversation. Telecommunications is no longer just one sector within the economy; it is productivity infrastructure for the entire economy,” Maida declared.

He cited projections from the GSMA indicating that stronger digital integration could add about two percentage points to Nigeria’s GDP by 2028 while generating nearly two million jobs and N1.6tn in additional tax revenue.

“The policy choices we make today will determine Nigeria’s ability to broaden its tax base, improve public services, create jobs and build a more inclusive economy,” he added.

Also speaking, the NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the workshop offered stakeholders an opportunity to rethink the future direction of the communications industry.

“The National Telecommunications Policy 2000 laid the foundation for liberalisation, investment and innovation. But the sector has evolved significantly,” he said.

Shuaibu added that issues including technological convergence, data governance, cybersecurity and collaborative regulation now require a more forward-looking framework.

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Stakeholders are expected to submit recommendations that will shape the proposed National Telecommunications Policy 2026, which the Federal Government hopes will accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation and strengthen its ambition to become a leading digital economy in Africa.