The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has called for increased investment in telecommunications infrastructure as Nigeria’s data consumption rose by nearly 47 per cent in one year, putting additional pressure on network capacity and service quality.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Maida, disclosed this at the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum organised by the Commission in collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja.

Maida said data consumption increased from approximately 1.13 million terabytes in July 2025 to about 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, stressing that sustaining the growth would require significant investment in network expansion, modernisation and quality-of-service improvements.

He said the investment challenge extended beyond expanding coverage to ensuring that existing users received better service and that networks were resilient enough to support emerging technologies, including cloud services, digital platforms and artificial intelligence applications.

“The investment challenge before us is not merely one of expanding coverage. It is also about ensuring that those already connected enjoy better service quality, improved user experiences, and infrastructure capable of supporting future technologies,” Maida said.

The NCC chief said the forum was established to connect regulators, investors, infrastructure providers and development partners around the investment requirements for expanding digital connectivity, identifying deployment barriers and developing partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation.

He said the telecommunications sector’s growth over the past 25 years demonstrated the impact of sound policy, transparent regulation and investor confidence, adding that the Commission remained committed to facilitating investment while protecting consumers and promoting fair competition.

Maida cited the 2025 telecommunications tariff adjustment, engagements with state governments over Right of Way issues and the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure as measures aimed at supporting network investment and reducing deployment barriers.

He also called for greater participation by local and international investors, development finance institutions and infrastructure providers, saying evidence-based regulation would provide clearer information on investment opportunities and improve regulatory certainty.

The Commission is working with Swedfund and Ookla to use network performance and consumer experience data to identify service gaps and areas requiring additional investment.

Maida said the partnership’s data was being combined with market and network information to provide a broader assessment of infrastructure needs and investment opportunities.

He also highlighted the NCC Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed with Innovations for Poverty Action, which integrates Ookla network performance data, consumer complaints and operators’ intervention reports into a single dashboard.

He said the platform helps the Commission assess connectivity problems by location and demographic characteristics and determine whether interventions have improved consumers’ experience.

In her keynote address, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said digital infrastructure was increasingly central to the investment climate, competitiveness and Nigeria’s participation in international trade.

She said the changing nature of trade had made private networks, data centres, digital platforms and secure data systems critical infrastructure for modern economic transactions.

The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, identified gaps in connectivity coverage, quality, affordability and supporting infrastructure, saying government, industry and investors would need to work together to address them.

She also identified energy, cybersecurity and digital skills as important components of a sustainable connectivity ecosystem and said Swedish institutions and companies could contribute technology, commercial expertise, development finance, export financing and project development to Nigeria’s digital infrastructure priorities.

Ookla’s Vice President of Sales, Middle East and Africa, Tristan Muhader, said connectivity had become an operating layer for economic and public activity, making network performance and resilience increasingly important to national development.

Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the Director of the National Frequency Management Council, Adetunji Adeyemo, said reliable, affordable, resilient and accessible digital infrastructure was essential to Nigeria’s economic transformation.

The two-day forum brings together policymakers, investors, development finance institutions, telecommunications operators, infrastructure providers, technology companies and development partners to explore investment opportunities in Nigeria’s digital connectivity sector.