Telecom
NCC Commits to Developing Digital Skills for Realization of Digital Economy

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to developing digital literacy skills required for the realization of full digital economy in Nigeria.
Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, Head, Digital Skills and Services, stated this at AfricaNXT tech event under a theme: ‘The NCC Mandate Towards Realization of Full Digital Economy in Nigeria’. According to her, “when you have basic foundation for communications such as connectivity, data among others. What is next is digital innovation, entrepreneurship and digital skills.
“If we have all the Apps and solutions such as eHealth, eAgric and the populace does not know how to use them, we have achieved nothing.
“So, the next core area of the digital economy department in NCC is development of digital skills across all Nigerians, including children in primary, secondary, NYSC, mothers among others. In that way we have ubiquitous availability of digital skills across Nigeria for digital economy”.
She said the development of digital skills for Nigerians has become necessary following the creation of the Nigerian Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS), whose mandate is to encourage indigenous participation in the telecom sector.
The creation of the NODITS, according to her has started yielding desired results as indigenous have now been engaged in the production of products and services that were hitherto imported. She noted that this move is boosting the government’s digital economy pursuit.
One of such products is the production of SIM cards, which she disclosed has helped the Nigerian government to save about $12 million owing to the ban of whole Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) importation.
“As we speak, six indigenous companies were licensed by the NCC to manufacture SIM cards, four out of these six are operational and have manufactured over 100 million SIM cards, saving Nigeria about $12 million from the importation of SIM cards, between August 2022 and now” she said.
Also speaking on what the NCC is doing to drive the digital economy, Mr. Abraham Oshadami, the Head of Spectrum Administration at the NCC, said the Commission has slashed licensing fees for Internet Service Providers to as low as N500, 000.
“This is an effort to the rollout of telecoms infrastructure across the country to achieve the National Broadband Plan of the Government”.
, Mrs. Aderonke Sola-Ogunsola, Head of Financing and Stakeholder Management Team, NODITS at the NCC expressed optimism that it is possible for the country to continue to make progress in the banning of more telecoms device such as Smartphone, phone chargers and SIM card, adding that before the ban, SIM was imported into Nigeria.
According to her, Nigeria has the capacity to manufacture SIM in Nigeria stressing that with the ban and the manufacture of SIM in the country, there will be the provision of more jobs and the saving of FOREX for the nation.
Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, who moderated the panel session in his opening remark stated that digital literacy skills is one of the pivotal focus of the Commission, stressing that without digital stills citizens will not be able to reach maximum derivation of the digital services and innovations- resulting from the efforts of the digital economy.
“There should be an effective regulator of the industry in order to achieve digital economy and digital literacy skill is one of the key focus of digital economy policy, because if you don’t have the skills to implement and exploit technologies and services that are available, you will not reach the maximum benefits,” he stated.
Telecom
Equinix Expands Digital Footprint in Nigeria with Launch of LG2.3 Data Center

Equinix, Inc. the world’s digital infrastructure company™, has officially opened its latest data center expansion in Lagos. Called LG2.3, the facility will support Nigeria’s growing digital transformation efforts, providing state-of-the-art colocation and secure interconnection solutions which will empower businesses across the region.
It also signifies Equinix’s unwavering dedication to advancing Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy, reinforcing the company’s commitment to the region.
As part of the inauguration, Bruce Owen, President of EMEA at Equinix, along with other Equinix executives, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly expanded site. In addition to an official visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Equinix hosted an exclusive customer engagement event, bringing together key customers and partners from Nigeria’s business and technology sectors.
Attendees discussed shared successes and Equinix’s role in facilitating digital transformation, while also connecting directly with Bruce Owen for insights into how Equinix’s solutions drive innovation and business agility in the region.
Equinix executives also took part in a tree-planting ceremony, symbolising Equinix’s continued investment in sustainable initiatives across the globe and highlighting the company’s broader goal of reducing its carbon footprint while supporting greener practices across its operations worldwide.
Speaking about the expansion, Bruce Owen, President of EMEA at Equinix said “Nigeria is a crucial market for Equinix. Today’s opening is a clear demonstration of our continued commitments to invest and grow digital infrastructure that will benefit the many thousands of businesses in Nigeria and on the continent as a whole.
“I am deeply encouraged by the enthusiastic partnerships and innovations emerging from this dynamic region, which continue to inspire our commitment to Nigeria’s digital and sustainable future.”
Adding to this, Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, highlighted the critical role of data centers in driving economic growth stating “Data centers continue to play a pivotal role in driving economic development in Nigeria, serving as critical infrastructure that supports digital transformation and economic growth.
“As governments and enterprises increasingly acknowledge their significance, global demand for data center capacity is poised to rise. While Africa’s demand for data solutions is still evolving compared to more mature markets, the continent is demonstrating strong potential for digital adoption and innovation.
“To meet this growing need, Equinix is actively advancing three major data center projects in Nigeria, with future expansion plans for Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa.”
Equinix remains steadfast in its mission to enable secure, scalable, and sustainable digital growth for economies across the world.
Telecom
African Women Hit Hardest as Mobile Internet Gender Gap Persists

African women remain among the most digitally excluded globally, with smartphone affordability and digital literacy among the key barriers. New data from the 2025 GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report, launched recently, reveals a persistent global gender gap in mobile internet use across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
It further notes that literacy, digital skills, safety, and affordability of data also remain critical barriers. The report highlights that 885 million women across these regions still do not use mobile internet, with nearly 60% of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
While mobile internet is the primary way women in LMICs access the internet, offering critical lifelines to health, education, and financial services, the pace of female adoption has stalled, leaving 235 million fewer women than men connected.
Claire Sibthorpe, head of digital inclusion at GSMA, highlighted that the gender gap had narrowed significantly between 2017 and 2020, but progress flatlined in recent years.
Although 2023 brought a slight improvement, restoring the gap to 15%, 2024 saw minimal change, with the gap settling at 14%.
The disparity is most severe in Sub-Saharan Africa, where women are 29% less likely than men to use mobile internet.
“It’s disheartening that progress in reducing the mobile internet gender gap has stalled. The digital divide is driven by deep-rooted socio-economic and cultural factors that disproportionately impact women,” said Sibthorpe.
GSMA projects that closing the gender gap by 2030 could add $1.3 trillion to GDP across LMICs and deliver $230 billion in revenue to the mobile industry.
The report, funded by the UK FCDO, Sida, and the Gates Foundation, stresses the urgent need for targeted investment and policy action to bridge the digital divide and ensure that no woman is left offline.
“The mobile internet gender gap is not going to close on its own. It is driven by deep-rooted social, economic, and cultural factors that disproportionately impact women,” said Sibthorpe.
Telecom
₦800 Billion Infrastructure Plan Set to Boost MTN’s Network Quality Nationwide

In a recent interview, MTN Nigeria reaffirmed that its ongoing infrastructure investment is a strategic step to improve network quality, speed, and nationwide coverage.
Speaking on Beyond the Headlines with Nifemi Oguntoye, Ugonwa Nwoye, Chief Customer and Experience Officer at MTN Nigeria, explained that although public concern is valid, the company undertook several internal cost-efficiency measures before making structural adjustments.
She emphasised that improved investment is critical to fast-tracking improvements across MTN’s network.
Nwoye explained that MTN undertook extensive internal reforms before embarking on structural changes needed to support this scale of investment.
The company completed its phased roll-out of the increase between February and March, ensuring that every existing data plan was below the 50% increase, and most remained below 25%.
She also noted that customers were proactively informed about all changes, particularly when certain legacy plans were retired and replaced with new ones. “We gave customers six to eight weeks’ notice,” she explained.
“This is why it has taken us some time to complete this process, where we let customers know that at a certain date, this particular tariff is not going to exist.”
Nwoye stressed that MTN had exhausted other internal measures before turning to broader structural updates. Now, with the new pricing structure in place, the company is accelerating its investment in infrastructure, spending over ₦200 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone, a 159% increase from the same period last year. A total capital expenditure of ₦800 billion is planned for the year.
She noted that this investment is a direct outcome of long-term operational restructuring aimed at improving service quality.
She added, “We are investing over ₦800 billion this year alone in our infrastructure. This will translate into better customer experience, reduced congestion, faster internet speeds, and wider network reach.”
This investment will support the upgrade of over 1,000 cell sites and the expansion of more than 2,000 transmission links nationwide.
Nwoye stressed that these upgrades are designed to deliver faster data speeds, fewer dropped calls, and broader network reach, especially in underserved areas.
She acknowledged the public’s expectations for immediate service improvements but emphasised that large-scale infrastructure takes time to deploy.
Nonetheless, MTN expects customers to begin experiencing visible improvements in network performance by the second half of the year.
In a sector where service quality and customer satisfaction are closely watched, MTN maintains that its ongoing investments are not merely capital commitments but vital enablers of improved digital experiences across Nigeria.
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