Telecoms Policy Review Aims to Bridge Digital Divide and Improve Public Service Delivery

The federal government has underscored the necessity of revisiting Nigeria’s National Telecommunications Policy of 2000, which was introduced 26 years ago to guide and regulate the sector.

Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, highlighted this point during the ongoing telecoms policy review in Lagos. The event, organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, carries the theme “The Imperative of Policy Drivers in Attaining National Objectives and Building Collaboration across Sectors and Segments of Government.”

Usman explained that a policy designed for the early 2000s cannot be presumed adequate for 2026, which is why the review is essential.

In her keynote address, she said the review would help craft modern frameworks to guide the next phase of Nigeria’s telecommunications development.

“The workshop is not merely a technical engagement. It is an invitation to look back with honesty, examine the present with clarity, and prepare for the future with discipline. The National Telecommunications Policy 2000 was developed at a defining moment in Nigeria’s reform journey,” she said.

“It supported the liberalisation of the sector, encouraged private investment, enabled competition, and helped transform telecommunications from a limited public service into one of the most dynamic sectors of the Nigerian economy.”

Usman noted that more than two decades later, Nigeria, its technology, its economy, and citizens’ expectations have all evolved. What once focused mainly on voice connectivity now underpins digital trade, e‑commerce, fintech, digital identity, public service delivery, education, health, agriculture, security, disaster response, innovation, and job creation.

“The review will therefore help to bridge the existing digital gap and enhance public service delivery,” she added.

She urged industry stakeholders to provide substantive input so that the revised policy can address clear challenges and build a resilient, digitised economy.

According to her, a contemporary telecommunications policy must address not only networks and operators but also national productivity, inclusion, innovation, competition, consumer protection, data governance, infrastructure resilience, public service delivery, digital skills, investment, and security.

She said, “We must understand where coverage gaps exist, where service quality is weak, where infrastructure is vulnerable, where consumer complaints are concentrated, where investment is constrained, where states have created enabling environments, and where coordination failures are slowing progress.”

In his opening remarks, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida noted that when the telecoms policy was introduced in 2000, the sector was at a very different stage of development.

Maida said the immediate priority then was to shift from a state‑dominated market with limited access and low tele‑density to a liberalised, competitive industry.

He added that today’s regulatory environment must support broadband infrastructure, digital financial services, cybersecurity, identity systems, e‑government, data governance, consumer trust, innovation, and critical infrastructure protection.

Maida called for collaboration with relevant institutions, state governments, and other public bodies to shape new narratives in the telecoms sector.

He argued that the next telecommunications policy must recognise that regulation has moved from sector oversight to ecosystem stewardship—shifting from managing telecommunications services to enabling Nigeria’s broader digital transformation.

“It is against this backdrop that the commission has convened the workshop as part of a public consultative process to review the existing policy framework and chart a new course for the future of telecommunications in Nigeria,” Maida said.

Industry stakeholders from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and others present at the review workshop supported the initiative, stating it would help fast‑track development in the telecoms sector in line with global digital transformation trends.