The Association of Telecommunication Companies (ATCON) has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to close the visible gap in its policies in the Telecom sector to achieve digital inclusion and transformation.
The President of ATCON, Tony Emoekpere, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
According to him, the FG’s telecom policies have set the right ambitions but there are still some visible gaps to cover.
“The strategic plan for the Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy outlines a clear roadmap for the sector, emphasising digital transformation, economic diversification, and broadband expansion.
“One of the flagship policies driving the industry is the National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, which aims for 70 per cent broadband penetration by the end of 2025.
“While progress has been made, the latest data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) puts broadband penetration at 44.43 per cent as of December 2024.
“This is a reality check as we still have some distance to cover with less than a year to meet the target,” Emoekpere said.
He, however, commended the NCC for taking the bold step of publishing actual and verifiable data.
The president says transparency has become crucial because it will allow the government to identify the real gaps and tackle them effectively.
“There have been important policy strides, particularly in Right of Way (RoW) reforms, which aim at reducing deployment costs for fibre infrastructure.
“Another one is broadband infrastructure investment incentives to encourage expansion.
“The Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) protections, which, when fully enforced, should help curb fibre cuts and infrastructure vandalism,” he said.
Emoekpere urged the government to accelerate policy execution if the industry would meet the broadband target.
“The reality is that multiple taxation, high infrastructure costs, and vandalism remain major barriers to progress.
“The full implementation of CNII protections is critical, and we hope this administration will see it through to completion,” the ATCON president said.
He, however, said the government deserved praise for investing in digital skills development.
According to him, the plan to train 3 million digital professionals by 2027 is a forward-thinking initiative that will equip Nigerians with the skills needed to thrive in the digital economy.
Emoekpere, however, said broadband penetration has been the backbone of digital inclusion.
He added that without fast, affordable, and widespread internet access, even the best digital skill programme would have limited impact.
“For meaningful progress, we need aggressive infrastructure rollout, harmonised taxation, and stronger protection for telecom assets,” he said.
