Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has called for sustained investment and expansion of broadband connectivity, while noting that Nigerians consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026.
He said the figure is up from about 1.13 million a year earlier, an increase of almost 47 per cent within 12 months, adding that keeping pace would require sustained investment, both to expand networks and to improve the experience of people already connected.
The EVC spoke at the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum themed: ‘Unlocking Infrastructure Investment through Data, Transparency and Partnerships,’ organised by NCC in collaboration with Swedfund International AB and Ookla on Tuesday in Abuja.
He noted that Nigeria’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, driven by increasing demand for broadband connectivity, digital services, and data-driven innovation across sectors.
According to Maida, while Nigeria has made significant progress in expanding telecommunications infrastructure and mobile broadband access, important gaps remain, including uneven network performance, infrastructure deployment constraints, rising demand for higher quality connectivity, underserved and commercially challenging areas, and the need to mobilise greater levels of private investment in digital infrastructure.
He stated that to address these challenges, more than infrastructure deployment is required, adding that reliable data and intelligence are increasingly important to understanding where connectivity gaps exist, where demand is emerging, what infrastructure constraints affect deployment, and where investment can generate the greatest economic and social impact.
In this context, he said that the NCC is advancing a more data-driven approach to understanding Nigeria’s connectivity environment, drawing on multiple sources of network, infrastructure, coverage, market and other relevant intelligence to support better policy, regulatory and investment decisions.
The forum, according to NCC, is designed to translate Nigeria’s growing body of connectivity, infrastructure and market intelligence into practical investment opportunities, partnerships and actions that can accelerate digital infrastructure development.
‘We can see the demand in our figures. Nigeria has consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July of this year, up from about 1.13 million a year earlier. That’s an increase of almost 47% within 12 months. Keeping pace will require sustained investment, both to expand networks and to improve the experience of people already connected. We have indeed been working to improve the conditions for that investment.
‘The 2025 tariff adjustment addressed the financial pressures on operators and their ability to invest, with a clear expectation of better service for consumers. In 2024, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national information infrastructure has strengthened the basis for protecting these assets; our engagement with the subnationals on right of way is also helping to address deployment costs.
‘We know that investors need confidence in how rules will be applied and how decisions will be made. We also know that there is more work to do on the practical difficulties of deployment.
‘This forum is an opportunity to discuss those difficulties openly with the people who can help resolve them. We are making evidence-based decision-making central to how we regulate. For investors, that means a clearer understanding of where the opportunities lie and greater confidence in the basis for our decisions,’ he said
In her keynote address, minister of industry, trade and investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole said digital access is very critical to achieving Nigeria’s $1trn economy, noting that the collaboratipn between NCC and other providers is vital to ensuring the target is met.