Nigeria: The road to success in broadband investment and connectivity

By Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

Permit me to begin with a question that frames our purpose today: How much is an hour of connectivity worth? 

Consider the industrialist in Enugu closing an overseas shipment; the miner in Zamfara consulting geologists remotely; the entrepreneur in Lagos running an online store; the technician in Yenagoa checking real-time dashboards; the merchant in Kano coordinating cross-border payments; and our security services relying on live intelligence feeds. In each case, connectivity is the quiet enabler. When it fails, opportunities evaporate, productivity stalls—and in critical situations, lives can be put at risk. 

History shows that nations that embraced steam, rail, and electrification surged ahead. Today, data, broadband, and AI are the new engines. Those who seize the moment prosper; hesitation carries a heavy cost. 

Broadband: Why Connectivity Matters 

When we talk about connectivity, our minds go to faster downloads or smoother video calls. But the scope and impact extend far beyond these. Connectivity today equals economic inclusion, productivity, and national resilience. 

As of August 2025, Nigeria had achieved a broadband penetration rate of roughly 48.81% with over 140 million people having internet access. The ICT/telecom sector is already one of the leading contributors to Nigeria’s GDP. Research shows that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can drive approximately 1.38% GDP growth in developing economies so imagine what a 20%, 30%, 40% increase in broadband penetration would do: (there would be more billions in economic output, new jobs, new services, and innovation hubs across our states.) 

For individuals and small businesses, broadband access turns local markets into national and global ones. It transforms opportunities for our graduates from local to global digital earning possibilities. It transforms a state economy from being dependent on traditional revenue streams to fostering an innovation-driven ecosystem. Let us look at how this has impacted countries like Rwanda and India, for example. Rwanda has positioned itself as an African hub of digital services by investing heavily in backbone fibre and digital governance. India’s outsourcing and IT services industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars (worth over $240 billion annually), enabled largely by early and consistent investment in digital infrastructure and human capacity. 

With over 200 million people and a median age of 18, Nigeria can not only follow those trajectories but surpass them—if we equip our youth with reliable, affordable, high-speed connectivity. 

One of the most significant barriers to broadband deployment in Nigeria has been the high cost of Right of Way (RoW) fees charged by state governments, despite a resolution by the Nigerian Governors Forum fixing the rate at N145 per linear meter. Recognising this challenge, the Commission intensified advocacy with states to reduce or waive these fees to accelerate broadband rollout. Within the past two years, five additional states—Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Benue, and Zamfara—have waived RoW fees entirely.

Progress and Challenges 

Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria is pursuing the ambitious targets of the National Broadband Plan (2020–2025). This plan sets a clear path to achieve 70% broadband penetration by the end of 2025 and to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone infrastructure across the country. 

At the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), we have translated this vision into deliberate and strategic action. We are driving broadband expansion, strengthening regulation, and safeguarding the industry—even in the face of a challenging operating environment. Let me highlight a few initiatives that we have undertaken: 

1. Through the sustained advocacy of the Commission, and efforts of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) as well as the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Presidential Order was signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2024. The CNII Presidential Order guarantees proactive protection of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure by providing the Executive backing for law enforcement agents to deal with vandalism, theft and denial of service to these assets, while ensuring continued network service provision by operators. The Commission, working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser has been tasked with ensuring the full operationalisation of this mandate in the telecommunications sector. To achieve this, we have set up a Telecommunications Industry Working Group to coordinate its operationalisation. Our first task has been to ensure strict compliance with baseline standards for site security, maintenance, and access control. 

We have also launched a broad public awareness drive, including TV and radio jingles, social media campaigns, and community engagement initiatives, to mobilise citizens in protecting telecom infrastructure. In addition, the Commission alongside ONSA is deepening collaboration with sub-nationals and their institutions, as well as the judiciary—for deterrence and speedy prosecution. Through mediation, enforcement, and prosecutions of vandals, the NCC and ONSA are giving practical effect to the Presidential Order in safeguarding Nigeria’s digital lifelines. Within the last two years, ONSA has successfully dismantled major cartels responsible for the theft of telecommunications equipment across the country. 

2. One of the most significant barriers to broadband deployment in Nigeria has been the high cost of Right of Way (RoW) fees charged by state governments, despite a resolution by the Nigerian Governors Forum fixing the rate at N145 per linear meter. Recognising this challenge, the Commission intensified advocacy with states to reduce or waive these fees to accelerate broadband rollout. Within the past two years, five additional states—Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Benue, and Zamfara—have waived RoW fees entirely. This brings the total number of states offering zero RoW charges to eleven (11), while 17 states have capped it at N145 per metre. Our sustained engagement with state governments, including today’s gathering underscores our commitment to creating an enabling environment for broadband expansion. 

We are also promoting the “dig-once” coordination with public works to cut avoidable fibre damage and lower civil-works costs by sharing ducts and plans. Our goal is uniform, predictable RoW countrywide, paired with clear permitting SLAs. 

3. In line with our economic regulatory mandate, earlier this year, the Commission approved the application of tariff rates that are both cost-reflective and competitive within the telecommunications industry. This strategic regulatory intervention has significantly strengthened investor confidence in the Nigerian telecommunications sector. I can confirm to you that operators have made collective commitment to investing over $1 billion in additional rollout investments to expand broadband coverage and capacity nationwide. We will keep monitoring quality, so consumers see the benefit in better service. 
4. The NCC has commissioned a wholesale Fibre Study, which is likely to open up existing backbone, and any built in the future, on comparable, transparent terms so that backbone owners and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can interconnect more easily. This intervention will unlock last-mile expansion and faster backhaul. 
5. Transparency & Data: The Commission is expanding performance disclosures— outage reporting, QoS/QoE maps, and compliance dashboards—to anchor accountability across the value chain. What gets measured gets managed; what is published gets improved. 

Despite these significant efforts, some challenges remain. 

Infrastructure attacks and vandalism continue to pose a challenge. Between January and August 2025 alone, Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre cut incidents, 3,241 cases of equipment theft, and over 19,000 cases of denials of access to telecom sites. 

Together, these disruptions have caused prolonged outages, revenue losses, increased security costs, and delayed service restoration. They demonstrate why infrastructure protection must be at the centre of our collective agenda. 

Another persistent challenge facing broadband expansion in Nigeria is the fragmented and unpredictable Right of Way (RoW) regimes across different states, which create delays and cost uncertainties for operators. This problem is compounded by inconsistent enforcement of critical infrastructure protection, weak coordination with road authorities, and the absence of clear construction planning protocols. Beyond these, the sector continues to contend with energy supply volatility, multiple taxation, and cumbersome permitting processes, all of which pose significant headwinds to progress. 

The Urgency of Now 

Governors, ministers, colleagues: time is not on our side. The global digital race is accelerating. Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries; outsourcing is shifting to low-cost, high-connectivity environments. If our broadband backbone is weak, our youth will be marginalized, and our economy will likely not achieve its full potential. 

In earlier eras, a community without a railway or electricity could still subsist. In today’s world, a community without digital connectivity is invisible. It is cut off from education, markets, access to healthcare, social services, and opportunities. 

We must act decisively—state by state, community by community—to ensure no one is left behind. 

A Shared Responsibility and Call to Action 

Every Governor and State represented in this room holds a strategic lever. Waiving RoW charges, protecting telecom infrastructure, and proactively supporting fibre deployment are decisions that can determine the prosperity or stagnation of your states. 

In states that have waived RoW and supported infrastructure protection, operators are expanding networks with greater confidence. This proves that policy direction matters. But we need alignment across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. If every state embraces uniform, pro-investment policies, we can transform Nigeria into a continental digital powerhouse. 

In this regard, let me make some concrete requests to you: 

1. Be a partner in the operationalisation and enforcement of telecom assets as critical infrastructure.
2. Adopt 100% RoW waiver statewide (or at minimum the NGF benchmark), with clear SLA timelines for approvals. 
3. Institutionalise coordination between road/public works and operators—shared planning portals, advance works notifications, and dig-once protocols to prevent accidental cuts. 
4. Embrace transparency: Publish standard processes, timelines, and fees; adopt singlewindow permitting where possible. 
5. Create state digital-infra funds/incentives to crowd in private fibre in rural or underserved areas; leverage PPPs for open-access backbone and metro builds. 
6. Facilitate energy resilience: Support hybrid/solar power at sites to improve uptime and reduce OPEX and emissions. 

Why This Roundtable Matters 

This is a strategic crossroads. Every decision—protective legislation, RoW waivers, enabling fibre—shapes the future of millions. With alignment, our states can become digital growth engines; with delay, we risk watching opportunity pass us by. Today’s discussion is about removing friction so investment flows faster and value reaches citizens sooner. 

Tomorrow, the NCC will launch two strategic tools: 

1. The Ease of Doing Business Portal, a one-stop-shop that provides information and link to our 36 States and FCT. 
2. The Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index (NDCI), a framework to measure and publish annually each State’s digital readiness and competitiveness, creating a transparent scorecard to drive accountability. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the 21st century, prosperity now lies in data, connectivity, and human potential. Pipelines of oil are giving way to pipelines of fibre. Factories are being redefined by how many tech entrepreneurs we nurture, not how many smokestacks we build. 

The Nigerian Communications Commission will continue to protect and expand Nigeria’s connectivity. But this is not a task we can embark on alone, it is a shared mission. Together, with Governors and States, operators, the private sector, security agencies, and development partners, we can ensure our youth become creators, not merely consumers of digital value. 

The digital revolution does not wait. Let us align, invest, and protect, for the prosperity of our people and the future of our nation. 

I leave you with this question: Will we align—or be left behind? 

• Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), made this presentation at the Business Roundtable on Improving Investments in Broadband Connectivity and Safeguarding Critical National Infrastructure held on October 8, 2025 in Abuja.