NCC Begins Overhaul of 25-Year-Old Telecoms Policy, Invites Stakeholders’ Submissions

NCC Begins Overhaul of 25-Year-Old Telecoms Policy, Invites Stakeholders’ Submissions

Nigeria’s telecoms regulator has formally begun the process of rewriting the country’s 25-year-old telecommunications policy, setting the stage for what could become the most significant regulatory reset in the sector since liberalisation.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has invited industry players, consumers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to submit written inputs on the ongoing review of the National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) 2000. A consultation paper has already been published on the Commission’s website.

The Commission fixed Friday, March 20, 2026, as the deadline for submissions, which are to be addressed to the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO or sent via the dedicated email channel provided by the regulator.

The consultation exercise is being conducted in line with Section 24(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (NCA), which mandates public consultation prior to the formulation or review of general policy for the communications sector.

The review follows the inauguration of a Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) and a Ministerial Technical Committee (MTC) by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to commence work on updating the NTP 2000.

According to the NCC, the policy revision will align with the Minister’s Strategic Blueprint, Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency, and is expected to address critical issues including spectrum management, universal access, broadband penetration, net neutrality, quality of service (QoS), and the rising demand for data services.

Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, described the process as the first layer of a multi-stage consultation framework that will culminate in a draft National Telecommunications Policy 2026. The draft will undergo further stakeholder engagements before being subjected to statutory approval and validation processes.

Maida noted that the NTP 2000 had been instrumental in transforming Nigeria’s telecoms landscape — from about 500,000 telephone lines at inception to nearly 180 million active mobile connections today — but acknowledged that evolving technologies and market dynamics now require a comprehensive update.

The original NTP 2000 laid the groundwork for liberalisation, competition and market deregulation in the sector, paving the way for the enactment of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and the rapid expansion of mobile telephony.

In the ongoing review, the Commission has outlined 15 key policy proposals covering regulatory sustainability, emerging technologies, national security considerations and other strategic priorities.

The NCC emphasised that the consultation is open to licensees, consumers, government agencies, international partners, civil society groups and individuals, stressing that broad-based participation will ensure the revised policy reflects current realities and positions the communications sector for the next phase of growth.