By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Communications Commission has called on industry stakeholders and the general public to submit inputs toward the ongoing review of Nigeria’s National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) 2000, as part of efforts to reposition the country’s communications sector for emerging realities.
In an official signed statement, Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, disclosed that the consultation paper for the policy review has been published on the Commission’s website, with Friday, March 20, 2026, set as the deadline for submission of written memoranda. According to the statement, submissions are to be addressed to the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission or sent via the dedicated email channel provided for stakeholders.
The Commission explained that the consultation exercise is in line with its statutory mandate under the Nigerian Communications Act, particularly Section 24(1), which requires a public consultative process before the formulation or modification of general policies governing the communications sector.
The review process follows the earlier inauguration of a Ministerial Steering Committee and a Ministerial Technical Committee by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to commence the comprehensive review of the 25-year-old telecommunications policy.
The review is also expected to align with the Minister’s Strategic Blueprint titled Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency, which prioritises reforms in key areas such as spectrum management, universal access, broadband penetration, net neutrality, and quality of service.
The Commission stated that the consultation process and stakeholder feedback will support the Ministerial Steering Committee and the Implementation Committee in developing a modernised telecommunications policy capable of addressing current sectoral challenges and adapting to rapid technological advancements since the policy was first issued in 2000.
Speaking in the consultation paper, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Aminu Maida, said the exercise would culminate in the development of the first draft of the National Telecommunications Policy 2026, which will replace the existing policy after over two decades of implementation.
He noted that the draft policy would undergo additional rounds of consultations to ensure inclusiveness before it is presented for statutory approval and validation.
“The NTP 2000 has been instrumental to advancing Nigeria’s telecom sector from where it was 25 years ago – from a mere 500,000 lines to almost 180 million active mobile connections as of December 2026. One of the gaps that the revised policy seeks to address is the increased demand for data services and its externalities,” Maida stated.
He added that the consultation represents only the first phase of a broader engagement process designed to accommodate diverse expertise and stakeholder perspectives in shaping the future of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The Commission further explained that the original policy marked a major turning point in Nigeria’s telecom development by promoting liberalisation, competition, and modernisation, replacing earlier frameworks and laying the foundation for the growth of mobile telephony and the enactment of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
According to the statement, the ongoing review is anchored on 15 key policy proposals addressing regulatory effectiveness, sector sustainability, emerging technologies, and national security considerations.
The Commission urged licensees, consumers, government agencies, international partners, civil society organisations, and individuals to actively participate in the consultation process, emphasising that their contributions will help shape a forward-looking telecommunications policy capable of driving innovation, expanding access, and sustaining the sector’s growth trajectory.
