- Seeks long-term funding for telecoms infrastructure
- Says network bust pushes Nigeria’s Infrastructure to the Brink
BY EDMOND ODOK – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned that the country’s digital networks are buckling under an unprecedented surge in data demand and there is an urgent need for massive infrastructure investment in digital infrastructure nationwide.
Defending its call for greater investment to handle the exponential expansion in data demand, NCC disclosed that the country’s digital appetite exploded to 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026 alone, marking a staggering 47 percent spike in just 12 months.
According to a joint communiqué, following the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum in Abuja, the NCC and other participants alluded to the fact network capacity is officially being outpaced by consumption, saying: “Demand is outgrowing the networks: Nigeria consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026, an increase of almost 47 percent in 12 months.”
The forum, which was convened by the NCC alongside Swedfund and Ookla, warned that the pressure will only intensify as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) push existing power grids, data centers, and networks to their limits.
Drawing attention to the gap between the availability of mobile broadband and the number of Nigerians using it, the communique stated that the crisis is projected to deepen as telecom subscriptions skyrocket from 195 million to an estimated 350 million over the next decade, adding that beyond capacity strains, officials also raised alarms over a stark digital divide: a massive gap remains between the availability of mobile broadband and the actual number of Nigerians connected to it.
The communiqué stated: “Usage, rather than coverage, is now the larger gap. Mobile broadband covers about 90 percent of Nigerians, yet smartphone ownership stands at about 27 percent and broadband penetration at 57.4 percent against a 70 percent target. Device affordability, digital skills and trust are the binding constraints, and coverage investment alone cannot close them.”
Additionally, the forum participants, in a powerful plea for true digital inclusion, urged tech leaders to bridge the widening connectivity gap, arguing that infrastructure rollout must go hand-in-hand with financial accessibility, just as they challenged operators to match every network expansion dollar with aggressive initiatives that deliver low-cost, locally produced smartphones and SIMs to everyday consumers.
Addressing issues around financing, the communiqué said the traditional banking system is fundamentally unequipped to fund Africa’s digital revolution, indicating that industry leaders have warned digital infrastructure, which boasts an asset lifespan of 20 to 30 years, is routinely crippled by short-sighted five-year bank tenors that stifle long-term growth.
The Communique, while looking to break this bottleneck, issued an urgent directive to investors and development finance institutions to match long-life digital assets with long-tenor local currency capital.
Crucially, the participants demanded accountability, arguing that all future infrastructure funding must be strictly tied to independently verified network performance. This is as they also exposed a double-edged crisis holding back expansion: unreliable power supply and choked inland connectivity.
Furthermore, the participants canvassed a radical shift in planning, stating that energy and connectivity investments must be developed in lockstep, with regional tower clusters formally recognized as anchor off-takers for distributed power generation.
Finally, turning their sights on state intervention, the communique urged the Federal Government to immediately accelerate Project BRIDGE, noting that the proposed 90,000-kilometre national fibre backbone is now being championed as the definitive weapon to close the widening connectivity gap between major networks and local access points.
Meanwhile, experts stated that the push for digital expansion is rapidly reshaping state-level policies, with local governments being urged to harmonize site permit charges and eliminate bureaucratic delays, stressing that the strategy is already paying off.
The Communiqué further said the number of states offering zero Right of Way fees jumped from seven to 12 since December 2024 and looking ahead, the NCC vowed to keep stakeholders locked in on the critical deployment strategies and investments agreed upon during the summit.
