By FUNMILOLA GBOTEKU

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says Nigeria needs a wholesale fibre market to unlock digital infrastructure and accelerate economic growth.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said this at the BusinessDay 2026 CEO Forum on Thursday in Lagos.

Maida said Nigeria had reached a stage where attention should shift from expanding connectivity to ensuring digital infrastructure supports productive sectors of the economy.

According to him, digital technology should increasingly drive healthcare, education, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors that improve national productivity.

He recalled that Nigeria liberalised its telecommunications sector in 2000 with fewer than 500,000 telephone lines.

Maida said the country now has more than 180 million active telecom connections, creating opportunities to deepen digital inclusion and economic transformation.

He added that the country already possessed extensive fibre infrastructure, contrary to the perception that connectivity was unavailable in many states.

“We actually do have connectivity, especially fibre, but what we do not have is a framework that enables fair and transparent access to that infrastructure,” he said.

He explained that the absence of a wholesale market had limited the access of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to existing fibre networks across the country.

He said the NCC was developing a wholesale market framework that would provide transparent pricing and ensure operators accessed infrastructure on fair terms.

According to him, such a framework will encourage more investment, improve broadband penetration and reduce the cost of internet services.

He said although fibre existed across Nigeria, about 85 per cent of ISPs operated mainly in Lagos and other urban centres, noting that expanding access outside major cities would help to bridge regional inequalities in digital connectivity and affordability.

He said more data centres should also be established outside Lagos to strengthen digital resilience and improve access to cloud services nationwide.

“We need to start taking this infrastructure and putting it into action. It is about using technology to improve productivity and grow the economy,” he said.

Maida said digital infrastructure should serve both commercial and public interests by supporting healthcare, education and other essential services, stressing that market forces alone could not guarantee equitable outcomes without regulatory measures that promote fair competition.

“As regulators, we guide the market towards efficiency by creating conditions that encourage competition and improve access,” he said.

Maida said stronger competition would lower costs, improve service quality and narrow affordability gaps across different parts of Nigeria.

He reaffirmed NCC’s commitment to policies that would expand broadband access, promote investment and ensure digital infrastructure benefits all Nigerians. (NAN)

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