By Abiodun Folarin
WorldStage— The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is pushing for sustained investment in telecommunications networks as data consumption in Nigeria surged by almost 47 per cent in one year, putting increasing pressure on existing infrastructure.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Tuesday at the opening of the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum in Abuja.
Maida said Nigerians consumed about 1.66 million terabytes of data in July 2026, compared with 1.13 million terabytes recorded in July 2025, underscoring the growing demand on the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.
He said the rising demand was being driven by increasing reliance on digital connectivity for businesses, education, financial transactions and access to essential services, with cloud services and artificial intelligence expected to deepen the dependence.
According to him, meeting the growing demand would require sustained investment not only to expand telecommunications networks but also to improve the quality of experience for existing subscribers.
The NCC chief said the Commission had taken steps to improve the investment environment, including the 2025 tariff adjustment, which addressed financial pressures on operators and their capacity to invest, while placing an expectation of improved services on them.
He also cited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure and the Commission’s engagement with state governments on Right of Way as measures aimed at strengthening infrastructure protection and reducing deployment costs.
Maida said the NCC was increasingly relying on evidence-based regulation to give investors clearer insight into market opportunities and improve confidence in regulatory decisions.
He said collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla was providing independent data on the connectivity experience of Nigerians, which the Commission combines with network and market information to identify service gaps and areas requiring investment.
The NCC boss added that the Commission’s Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action, had brought together Ookla data, consumer complaints and information on operators’ interventions to assess connectivity challenges by location and demographic group.
He said the two-day forum would examine investment opportunities across Nigeria and explore financing models and partnerships required to develop them, noting that while some projects were ready for commercial investment, others would require project preparation, shared infrastructure or development finance.
“Bring forward the projects you believe in, and tell us what is holding them back,” Maida told participants, urging investors and stakeholders to use the forum to identify practical barriers and agree on actions needed to advance digital connectivity investment.
He said Nigeria’s next phase of economic growth would depend partly on how effectively people and businesses were connected, stressing that investments in digital infrastructure should ultimately make it easier for Nigerians to earn a living, learn and access essential services.
