The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, has called on Nigeria to build on the success of its telecommunications reforms and focus on the next phase of development: economy-wide digital transformation.
Speaking at the Policy Review Workshop on the National Telecommunications Policy 2000, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Mr. Aboki argued that while Nigeria’s telecommunications liberalisation stands as one of Africa’s most successful public policy interventions, the country’s future competitiveness will depend on how effectively it converts connectivity into productivity, innovation, digital inclusion, and economic growth.
The workshop brought together policymakers, regulators, operators, industry stakeholders, and experts to review the implementation and future direction of Nigeria’s telecommunications policy framework.
A Public Policy Success Story
Aboki described the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 as transformative reforms that fundamentally changed Nigeria’s communications landscape.
“Twenty-five years ago, telecommunications in Nigeria was characterised by scarcity, limited access, long waiting lists and inadequate infrastructure,” he said.
“Today, Nigeria has become Africa’s largest telecommunications market by subscriber base, attracting more than US$75 billion in investment and creating one of the continent’s most dynamic digital ecosystems.”
He noted that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector now contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and has become a critical enabler of financial services, commerce, entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, and public service delivery.
The Next Challenge Is Digital Transformation
While celebrating the achievements of the telecommunications sector, Aboki stressed that the policy review should focus not only on past successes but on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“The evidence of success is already clear,” he said. “The more important question is how we use that foundation to drive the next phase of economic and social transformation.”
According to him, the future policy agenda must move beyond expanding connectivity to creating conditions for broader digital adoption, innovation, productivity growth, and digital participation across society.
He argued that broadband infrastructure should increasingly be treated as critical national infrastructure, alongside transport, power, and other strategic assets.
Services Liberalised Faster Than Infrastructure
One of the key lessons highlighted by Aboki was that Nigeria liberalised telecommunications services more rapidly than it developed underlying digital infrastructure.
He noted that while mobile adoption expanded quickly, investment in deeper infrastructure—including fibre backbone networks, metropolitan fibre systems, and rural broadband connectivity—did not always keep pace with growing demand.
As digital technologies become more central to economic activity, he said, future policy must place greater emphasis on long-term infrastructure investment, infrastructure sharing, right-of-way reforms, and resilient broadband networks.
From Telecommunications to Digital Industrialisation
Aboki argued that the telecommunications policy framework must now evolve to address emerging drivers of growth such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital trade, data governance, and digital manufacturing.
He noted that many of the world’s most successful digital economies no longer view telecommunications as a standalone sector but as a platform for innovation, industrial development, and economic competitiveness.
“The conversation is no longer only about connecting people,” he said. “It is increasingly about creating the digital foundations that enable economies to innovate, compete, create jobs, and participate in global value chains.”
Regional Integration Is Essential
A major theme of the presentation was the need for greater regional digital integration across Africa.
Aboki argued that many of the continent’s digital opportunities are constrained by fragmented markets, differing regulatory frameworks, and limited cross-border coordination.
He noted that institutions such as WATRA, ECOWAS, the African Union, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are becoming increasingly important in promoting policy harmonisation and creating larger digital markets.
“Africa cannot fully realise its digital economy potential as 54 disconnected digital markets,” he said.
According to him, greater cooperation on areas such as spectrum management, roaming, cybersecurity, cross-border infrastructure, digital payments, and data governance will be essential to attracting larger-scale investment and improving competitiveness.
Digital Inclusion Must Remain Central
Aboki also stressed that connectivity alone is not enough to achieve digital transformation.
He argued that policymakers must focus on increasing meaningful usage of digital technologies by citizens, businesses, schools, healthcare institutions, and government agencies.
Digital skills development, affordable access, relevant local content, and citizen-centred digital services, he said, will be critical to ensuring that the benefits of digital transformation are broadly shared.
He urged governments to play a catalytic role by digitising public services and expanding their availability across different sectors and demographic groups.
Building the Next Era of Reform
Concluding his remarks, Aboki said Nigeria’s next phase of reform should be guided by a broader ambition than connectivity alone.
“The challenge is not merely to digitise existing services,” he said. “It is to create digital products, platforms, and opportunities that are accessible, affordable, relevant, and usable regardless of location, income, or educational background.”
He added that sustainable investment, innovation, and digital inclusion would ultimately depend on how effectively governments, regulators, and industry work together to create an enabling environment for participation in the digital economy.
“If the first era of reform was primarily about connectivity,” he concluded, “the next era must be about economy-wide digital transformation.”
About WATRA
The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) is the regional organisation of telecommunications and ICT regulators in West Africa. It promotes regulatory harmonisation, regional cooperation, digital inclusion, and the development of an integrated digital market across its member states.
