Nigeria cannot build digital economy with outdated telecoms

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Usman, says Nigeria cannot build a competitive digital economy with outdated telecommunications policies and weak implementation systems.

Usman said this on Wednesday at the National Telecommunications Policy Review Workshop organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Lagos.

She said the review of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 had become necessary because the economy, technology ecosystem, security realities, and expectations of citizens had changed significantly over the past two decades.

According to her, telecommunications has evolved beyond voice connectivity and now supports financial technology, digital commerce, education, healthcare, innovation, public service delivery, agriculture, and national security coordination.

“A policy that was fit for purpose in the year 2000 cannot simply be assumed to remain adequate in 2026,” she said.

Usman warned that unclear, fragmented, outdated, or poorly coordinated policies often weakened implementation, created institutional overlaps, discouraged investment and reduced measurable national impact.

She said policy must no longer be treated as a mere government document, but as a framework that would give direction to regulators, confidence to investors, and clear expectations to citizens.

According to her, when policy lacks clarity, implementation becomes inconsistent, responsibilities overlap, resources are poorly targeted, and public institutions struggle to achieve measurable development outcomes.

The special adviser noted that the telecommunications sector had become central to Nigeria’s economic productivity and competitiveness because nearly every sector now depended on reliable digital infrastructure and connectivity.

“Telecommunications is no longer a standalone sector. It is an enabling platform for almost every other sector of national life,” she said.

Usman stated that the revised policy must address broadband penetration, affordability of digital access, quality of service, consumer protection, infrastructure resilience, and inclusion of underserved communities.

She also stressed the need for stronger collaboration among federal institutions, state governments, local authorities, investors, regulators, operators, and infrastructure providers to accelerate sector-wide growth.

According to her, the telecommunications policy review should not be approached merely as a regulatory exercise but as a broader national development assignment tied to economic reform objectives.

She said the administration of President Bola Tinubu expected the revised framework to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Eight Presidential Priorities.

Usman said: “The revised framework must clearly define implementation timelines, institutional responsibilities, measurable targets, reporting mechanisms, and performance indicators to improve accountability.”

She said government was increasingly focused on strengthening the link between policy formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and measurable delivery across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

According to her, many public policies fail because implementation structures, funding arrangements, institutional responsibilities, and review mechanisms are often not properly defined from the beginning.

She said the proposed National Public Policy Development and Management Framework sought to address those gaps through standardised processes, implementation planning, periodic evaluation, and evidence-based governance systems.

Usman stressed that telecommunications infrastructure should now be treated as critical national infrastructure because disruptions affected businesses, hospitals, schools, financial systems, security operations, and public institutions.

She listed fibre cuts, vandalism, multiple taxation, delayed approvals, right-of-way bottlenecks, insecurity, and energy constraints among major challenges slowing infrastructure expansion nationwide.

According to her, solving such challenges would require coordinated action across all levels of government instead of isolated interventions by regulators or operators alone.

“The revised policy must not become another document that sits on shelves. It must become a working instrument,” she said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Aminu Maida, said the telecommunications market had outgrown the assumptions behind the National Telecommunications Policy 2000.

Maida said the policy was introduced at a period when Nigeria’s priority was liberalisation, increased access, competition, and private sector participation in telecommunications services.

According to him, the sector has since evolved from basic connectivity into a major digital ecosystem supporting banking, commerce, education, entertainment, cloud services, digital identity, and government operations.

He added that the industry had also moved into a new era shaped by advanced technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, satellite broadband, cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity regulation.

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

Maida noted that the review of the telecommunications policy was necessary to preserve competition, universal access, consumer protection, and independent regulation, while supporting innovation and investment.

He said the revised framework must also address long-standing structural challenges including fibre cuts, vandalism, high energy costs, multiple taxation, permitting delays, and rural connectivity gaps.

According to him, those challenges had become national development concerns because they affected the quality, resilience, and reach of digital services across the economy.

Maida said the workshop was designed to review implementation of the existing policy, identify gaps, engage stakeholders on reform proposals, and develop recommendations for a new National Telecommunications Policy 2026.

The NCC boss said the commission aimed to develop a modern policy framework capable of supporting innovation, protecting consumers, improving quality of experience, strengthening investment, and advancing Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.

He urged stakeholders to approach the review process with openness, innovation, and a shared commitment toward strengthening Nigeria’s position as a leading digital economy in Africa.