NCC moves to strengthen Broadband infrastructure for $1trn economy

Stanley Ihedigbo

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stepped up efforts to strengthen broadband infrastructure across the country, describing improved connectivity and digital inclusion as critical drivers of Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy.

The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated this in a speech delivered at the conference of the Financial and Business Online Publishers (FiBOP) held in Lagos at the weekend under the theme ‘Taxation, industry, insurance, fintech, trade and investment as catalysts for Nigeria’s $1trn vision’ at Orchids Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

In his presentation entitled ‘Impact of digital inclusion and broadband penetration in the quest for a $1 trillion economy’, Maida, who was represented by the Senior Manager, Regulatory Services, Mrs. Yetunde Adeyemo, said the commission’s responsibility is to ensure that the foundations for building robust broadband and ensuring digital inclusion are “strong, resilient, inclusive, and capable of supporting the scale of growth Nigeria seeks to achieve.”

He noted that broadband has become the infrastructure of modern competitiveness, enabling trade, supporting innovation, improving productivity, expanding access to services, strengthening public institutions, and giving citizens the tools to participate more meaningfully in the economy.

“Digital Inclusion, on the other hand, ensures that the benefits of this connectivity are not limited to major cities, large corporations or privileged groups. It means that a student in a rural community, a market woman in an urban centre, a farmer in a remote village, a startup founder, a teacher, a health worker, a publisher and a small business owner can all access and use digital services in ways that improve their lives and livelihoods,” he said.

According to him, “That is the real promise of broadband, not connectivity for its own sake, but connectivity that expands opportunity.”

Sector growth and connectivity indicators

Highlighting the strength of the foundation already in place, Maida disclosed that as of April 2026, active telephony subscriptions stood at over 188 million, with tele-density at 86.73 per cent. Total active internet subscriptions stood at over 154.7 million, reflecting the growing importance of data connectivity in everyday life, enterprise, and public service delivery.

He added that the quality of connectivity is also improving, with Fourth Generation (4G) accounting for 54.41 per cent of mobile technology usage by April 2026, while Fifth Generation (5G) accounted for 4.34 per cent.

“This is significant because the future of Digital Inclusion depends not only on whether people are connected, but also on the speed, reliability, affordability and capacity of that connection,” he said.

The NCC boss stressed that a country seeking to build a one trillion-dollar economy must move from basic access to meaningful access, supporting digital payments, e-commerce, telemedicine, online education, cloud services, Artificial Intelligence (AI), precision agriculture, fintech, creative industries, and data-driven public service delivery.

He noted that by the first quarter of 2026, the telecommunications sector contributed over 9.19 per cent to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), reinforcing the sector’s economic relevance through clear improvements in key connectivity indicators.

“This shows that communications infrastructure is not peripheral to national development. It is one of the foundations upon which the next phase of Nigeria’s economic growth must be built,” Maida said.

Infrastructure as the engine of economic transformation

Maida further stated that every major economic transformation in history has been powered by infrastructure. According to him, while the industrial economy was built on railways, ports, roads, power plants, and factories, the knowledge economy is being built on broadband networks, data centres, spectrum resources, digital platforms, and the ability of citizens, businesses, and institutions to connect, communicate, and create value.

“For Nigeria, therefore, the aspiration to build a $1 trillion economy is not merely a fiscal or macroeconomic ambition. It is also a connectivity ambition. It is a question of how quickly we can extend digital access to every community, how effectively we can empower our people with digital tools and how deliberately we can convert broadband infrastructure into productivity, jobs, innovation and inclusive growth,” he said.