*Identifies pathways for improved connectivity nationwide
Participants at the just-concluded Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum have identified the principal barriers identified militating against smooth telecommunication operations in the country, calling on both the federal and state governments to urgently address such constraints for Nigeria to retain its global rating as the giant in the sector in Africa.
Among the barriers included the cost and tenor of financing, Right of Way and permitting constraints, the cost and reliability of power, and gaps in trusted infrastructure data.
Rising from a two-day Forum which took place in Abuja, on September 29-30, 2026, the participants obsrved that such barriers are interconnected and require coordinated action across government, regulators, investors, financiers and industry.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in partnership with Swedfund and Ookla, hosted the event at the Onomo Allure Hotel, under the theme “Unlocking Infrastructure Investment through Data, Transparency and Partnerships”.
Aside from providing opportunity for stakeholders to share ideas, the Forum recommended that the Federal Governmentshould accelerate the delivery of Project BRIDGE, the 90,000 km national fibre backbone, as a strategic response to the middle-mile connectivity gap; advance complementary measures to improve the availability and reliability of power for digital infrastructure;
Similarly, the Forum called on the NCC to sustain the reforms already improving investment conditions, including the tariff realignment, the designation of critical national information infrastructure and Right of Way engagement with States; publish the first national Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index report; advance open-access and wholesale regulation; and finalise the direct-to-device framework.
Aside from those, state governmentswere advised to cut and harmonise Right of Way and site permit charges, adopt the federal model under which the operator that lays fibre reinstates the road, and shorten permitting timelines.
In addition, operators, infrastructure and technology companieswere urged to pursue shared-infrastructure and neutral-host models that lower the cost of rural and indoor coverage, and pair every coverage investment with measures that put affordable devices in users’ hands, including locally manufactured devices and SIMs.
Not only that, investors and development finance institutionswere called upon to match long-life assets with long-tenor naira capital, tie infrastructure funding to independently verified network performance, and use blended structures and credit enhancement to bring projects that are not yet commercially ready to market.
Among the resource persons were, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, Chief Executive Officer of Chapel Hill Denham and Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Chairman of the Board of FCMB and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company, who stressed the importance of investable projects, appropriate financing structures, capital-market participation, as well as provided insights on the broader economic and financial environment for infrastructure investment.
According to the Communique issued by Mrs. Nnenna Ukaoha, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, “the Forum was convened to set out national digital infrastructure and investment priorities; present Nigeria’s connectivity and market data, including the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index, as a basis for transparent planning; examine what makes digital infrastructure bankable; showcase new models that reduce cost or extend reach; and convene investors, regulators, policymakers and operators to agree concrete opportunities”.
She added in the statement that the Forum observed that “Nigeria consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026, an increase of almost 47% in twelve months, and subscriptions are projected to grow from about 195 million towards 350 million within ten to fifteen years”.
Also, the Forum noted that “telecommunications and information services accounted for 9.72% of Nigeria’s real GDP in the second quarter of 2026, and mobile contributed about USD 240 billion to Africa’s economy in 2025”.
In addition, it noted that “mobile broadband covers about 90% of Nigerians, yet smartphone ownership stands at about 27% and broadband penetration at 57.4% against a 70% target and that infrastructure financing in Nigeria has grown from under ₦70 billion in 2004 to ₦19.4 trillion in 2025”.
The Forum was attended by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; representative of the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria; heads of Federal agencies; development finance institutions, investment banks and institutional investors; mobile network operators, tower and fibre infrastructure companies, satellite and fixed wireless providers; original equipment manufacturers; industry associations; and Management and staff of the Commission.
At the end of the Form, the NCC undertook to sustain engagement with participants and relevant stakeholders towards advancing the identified actions and investment pathways.
