The Federal Government has granted approval to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on the amendment of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 with a view to ensuring that the legislation’s provisions are updated to align the nation’s telecom sector’s operations with global best standards.
The Special Adviser to the President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Usman, gave this hint last Thursday during the NCC-organised National Telecommunications Policy Review Workshop in Lagos
The IT expert pointed out that legislative had become imperative as Nigeria cannot build a competitive digital economy with obsolete telecommunications policies and weak implementation systems.
Specifically, Usman clarified that NCA 2003 review became necessary based on theevolving changes in the global digital space in which economies, tech ecosystems, security realities, and expectations of citizens remarkably changed over the past years.
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According to her, recent developments show that the telecommunications sector has evolved beyond voice connectivity and now supports financial technology, digital commerce, education, healthcare, innovation, public service delivery, agriculture, and national security coordination.
Speaking on the telecoms policy 2000 review, Usman maintained that a policy that was considered appropriate for regulatory measures in year 2000 cannot simply be assumed to remain adequate in 2026.
The industry expert expresses her concern that poorly-coordinated policies based on unclear, fragmented, outdated laws, usually weaken implementation, create institutional overlaps, discourage investment, and reduce measurable national impact.
She pointed out that policies must no longer be treated as mere government documents but as frameworks that give direction to regulators, confidence to investors, and clear expectations to citizens.
Usman noted that when policy lacked clarity the implementation would be inconsistent, allow responsibilities overlap, poor management of resources on targeted projects and programmes, and cause public institutions to struggle in their efforts to achieve measurable development results.
The President’s aide advised all telecoms stakeholders to ensure that the revised policy addresses critical issues in the sector, particularly broadband penetration, affordability of digital access, quality of service (QoS), consumer protection, infrastructure resilience, and inclusion of underserved communities in the nation’s digital space.
Similarly, she harped on the need for stronger synergy of policy measures at federal, state, and governments, investors, regulators, operators, and infrastructure providers to accelerate sector-wide growth.
Usman cautioned on handling the review of the telecommunications policy as merely a regulatory exercise, but rather see it as a broader national development assignment to achieve the objectives of the government’s ongoing economic reforms.
Earlier in his keynote address at the forum, the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the telecommunications market had outgrown the assumptions behind the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 which, he pointed out, was introduced when Nigeria’s priority was liberalisation, increased access, competition, and private sector participation in telecommunications services.
The EVC explained the sector had since evolved from basic connectivity into a major digital ecosystem supporting banking, commerce, education, entertainment, cloud services, digital identity, and government operations, and evolved into a new era shaped by advanced technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, satellite broadband, cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity regulation.
He clarified: “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.”
Maida told the stakeholders that 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, which had become national development concerns as hey continued to undermine quality, resilience, and reach of digital services across the economy.
