The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has been urged to publish the first national Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index report, advance open-access and wholesale regulation, and finalise the direct-to-device framework.
The recommendations were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum 2026, organised by the NCC in partnership with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja.
The forum was held from September 29 to 30, 2026, with the theme, “Unlocking Infrastructure Investment through Data, Transparency and Partnerships.”
Participants also urged the Commission to sustain reforms aimed at improving investment conditions in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure sector, including tariff realignment, designation of critical national information infrastructure and engagement with state governments on Right of Way.
The forum brought together government officials, regulators, investors, financiers, infrastructure providers, mobile network operators, tower and fibre companies, satellite and fixed wireless providers, original equipment manufacturers and industry associations.
According to the communiqué signed by NCC director of public Affairss Nnnena Ukoha, the forum provided a platform for stakeholders to examine investment opportunities in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure sector, identify barriers to deployment and financing, and agree on practical actions to accelerate investment and expand meaningful connectivity.
Participants observed that Nigeria consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026, representing an increase of almost 47 percent in 12 months.
They projected that subscriptions would grow from about 195 million to 350 million within the next 10 to 15 years, while cloud computing and artificial intelligence would further increase demand for networks, data centres and power.
The forum observed that “demand is outgrowing the networks,” stressing that the growing adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence would place additional pressure on digital infrastructure and power supply.
It identified power and middle-mile connectivity as major constraints to digital infrastructure deployment.
According to the communiqué, “power and the middle mile are the binding constraints on deployment,” with stakeholders noting that the cost of inland connectivity was limiting data centre and internet service investments to a few metropolitan areas.
Participants therefore recommended that energy and connectivity investments be planned together, with tower clusters recognised as anchor off-takers for distributed generation.
The forum further noted that mobile broadband currently covers about 90 percent of Nigerians, while smartphone ownership stands at about 27 percent and broadband penetration at 57.4 percent, against a 70 percent target.
It stated that “usage, rather than coverage, is now the larger gap,” stressing that device affordability, digital skills and trust remained major constraints to meaningful connectivity.
Participants said coverage investment alone could not close Nigeria’s digital divide.
The forum consequently recommended that the Federal Government accelerate the delivery of Project BRIDGE, the 90,000km national fibre backbone, as a strategic response to the middle-mile connectivity gap.
It also called for measures to improve the availability and reliability of power for digital infrastructure, sustain policy consistency and support financing structures capable of reducing the cost of capital in the sector.
On Right of Way, state governments were urged to reduce and harmonise Right of Way and site permit charges, adopt the federal model under which operators that lay fibre reinstate roads, and shorten permitting timelines.
The forum noted that Right of Way reforms had translated into fibre growth of between 22 percent and 95 percent in reforming states, with 12 states now charging zero Right of Way fees, compared with seven in December 2024.
Participants also recommended that operators, infrastructure and technology companies pursue shared infrastructure and neutral-host models to reduce the cost of rural and indoor coverage.
They urged operators to pair coverage investment with measures that put affordable devices in users’ hands, including locally manufactured devices and SIMs.
Investors and development finance institutions were advised to match long-life digital infrastructure assets with long-tenor naira capital and tie infrastructure funding to independently verified network performance.
The forum further recommended blended financing structures and credit enhancement to bring projects that are not yet commercially ready to market.
Participants agreed on priority actions to be implemented within six to 24 months.
The actions include securing funding for community co-owned rural networks powered by renewable energy in zero-connectivity communities, issuing open-access and wholesale regulations, publishing a wholesale rate card and completing broadband mapping.
Other proposed measures include giving the Universal Service Fund regulatory backing as the primary source for underserved-area projects, developing indoor coverage models and incorporating data-centre requirements into the National Broadband Plan.
Within 18 to 24 months, stakeholders proposed establishing a financing framework for telecommunications power and developing metro and access fibre under concession, mapped against existing assets and integrated with Project BRIDGE.
The forum noted that “the principal barriers identified across the Forum—the cost and tenor of financing, Right of Way and permitting constraints, the cost and reliability of power, and gaps in trusted infrastructure data—are interconnected and require coordinated action.”
It therefore called for coordinated action among government, regulators, investors, financiers and industry stakeholders to address the challenges.
The NCC undertook to sustain engagement with participants and relevant stakeholders towards advancing the identified actions and investment pathways.
