As part of conscious and deliberate efforts aimed at positioning Nigeria in the global digital sports arena. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) have agreed to collaborate to place the country in its proper place as a leading e-sports hub.
The development followed a high-level meeting in Abuja in which the Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, led a delegation on a strategic visit to the NCC Chairman, Idris Olorunbe, to forge a partnership aimed at accelerating sports digitalisation and strengthening Nigeria’s e-sports ecosystem.
Speaking, Olopade noted the NCC’s readiness to embrace technology as a catalyst for sports development, saying that collaboration with the NCC would enhance connectivity, boost sponsorship opportunities, and elevate Nigeria’s competitiveness in e-sports.
Olopade said that the private sector participation—particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility—would be critical in building a modern sports ecosystem driven by digital innovation.
He further said that improved internet infrastructure and gaming facilities are essential for Nigerian athletes to compete globally.
Responding, the NCC chairman, Mr. Olorunbe expressed the need for strong institutional backing for the initiative, adding that e-sports remains a viable extension of traditional sports with vast economic potential.
He also said that proposed collaboration goes beyond athletics, touching on youth employment, digital innovation, and national branding.
Olorunbe called for the development of gaming hubs, improved broadband capacity, and enabling policies to unlock the country’s growing talent pool in the digital gaming space.
The two federal government agencies agreed to establish a joint technical working group tasked with developing a comprehensive roadmap for sports digitalisation in addition to the structuring of e-sports leagues and strategies to attract corporate sponsorship into the sector.
The proposed NCC-NSC alliance is seen as a landmark move—potentially the first coordinated effort between Nigeria’s sports and telecommunications regulators to build a sustainable digital sports economy and position the country as a major force in global e-sports.
