Presidency moves to rewrite 26-year telecom policy

•Eyes N1.6tn revenue, 2m jobs

By Chinenye Anuforo

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

The proposed review of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 took centre stage at a high-level policy workshop organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Lagos on Wednesday, where government officials, telecom operators, regulators and development partners agreed that the country’s digital future can no longer run on an outdated framework.

The move comes as authorities confront mounting challenges threatening telecom infrastructure and digital expansion, including fibre vandalism, multiple taxation, right-of-way bottlenecks, high energy costs and widening connectivity gaps.

Delivering the keynote address, Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Coordination, declared that the 26-year-old policy no longer reflects the realities of a rapidly evolving digital economy.

According to her, telecommunications has outgrown its traditional role of voice communication and now underpins virtually every critical sector of national life.

“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.

However, she stressed that the country now faces a vastly different reality.

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

She argued that the policy review must move beyond cosmetic amendments and deliver a modern telecommunications framework capable of driving national development, digital governance and economic competitiveness.

“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 said.

Usman warned that obsolete or poorly coordinated policies often create duplication of functions, weak implementation and limited impact.

She outlined key priorities for the proposed framework to include broadband expansion, affordability of digital services, protection of telecom infrastructure, quality of service, innovation, cybersecurity, consumer protection and digital inclusion.

The presidential aide said the review aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s Eight Presidential Priorities, insisting that the exercise should be viewed as a national economic assignment rather than a routine sectoral review.

“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 demanded stronger collaboration among regulators, operators, investors, state governments and security agencies, particularly on issues affecting fibre deployment and infrastructure protection.

According to her, telecom facilities must now be treated as critical national infrastructure.

“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, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, said the telecom industry had transformed dramatically since the 2000 policy opened the sector to competition.

He recalled that before liberalisation, the sector was dominated by NITEL with fewer than 500,000 active lines serving 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 later evolved into an infrastructure-driven sector focused on broadband rollout, fibre deployment, spectrum planning and universal access.

Despite the gains, Maida admitted that structural challenges continue to slow progress.

“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 chief said Nigeria is now entering what he described as an advanced regulatory frontier, driven by emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, satellite broadband, cloud infrastructure, 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 indicating that deeper digitalisation across sectors could significantly reshape Nigeria’s economy.

According to him, a GSMA study projects that stronger digital integration could add about two percentage points to Nigeria’s GDP by 2028, while generating close to two million jobs and N1.6 trillion 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.

Maida said the workshop was designed to assess the implementation of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000, identify gaps and produce recommendations for a future-ready National Telecommunications Policy 2026.

Also speaking, Ayuba Shuaibu, Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at the NCC, said the workshop offered stakeholders a crucial opportunity to rethink the future 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 noted that issues such as technological convergence, cybersecurity, data governance and collaborative regulation now require a more forward-looking policy framework.

Stakeholders at the workshop are expected to submit recommendations that will guide the development of a new telecommunications policy designed to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation and strengthen its ambition to emerge as a leading digital economy in Africa.