Telecom
WCRD 2022: NCC Assures of Robust Digital Infrastructure for Improved Financial Services
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate deployment of robust broadband infrastructure accessible to all Nigerians. This is to enhance their access to the required resources to carry out seamless digital financial services, irrespective of their locations and circumstances.
The Commission gave the assurance at a programme organised to commemorate Year 2022 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD).
At the programme which took place at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, and implemented in the context of the global theme: ‘Fair Digital Finance’, the Management of NCC announced the establishment of a dedicate desk, tagged: “TELCARE” to be operated across the country to enhance telecoms consumer protection.
Attendance and participation at the event, operated in-person and virtually, was overwhelming. Board members, senior management and staff of the Commission, collaborating agencies and other critical industry stakeholders were among the participants.
The event also ran concurrently with a roadshow carried out in Abuja and other NCC zonal offices in different parts of the country, to enlighten telecom consumers on the significance of the WCRD and to engage them on the NCC’s unwavering commitment to consumer protection.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Adeolu Akande, chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC, said in line with NCC’s mandates, the Board and Management have been upbeat in implementing regulatory initiatives aimed at building a robust digital ecosystem to drive the frontier of digital economy with positive impacts on all other sectors in the nation’s economy.
Alluding to the theme of the WCRD 2022, Akande said considering the increasing number of telecom consumers who are also users of digital finance services, the Commission is working assiduously to ensure that all consumers, including the most vulnerable, are provided with access to manage their finances, and protected from scams, fraud, and phishing to safeguard their data.
Earlier in his keynote address, Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, said the theme of this year’s WCRD aligns with the emerging realities of the regulatory goals of the Commission.
He informed the audience that the Commission is aware of the dynamic changes in the telecom industry, even as the Commission consolidated the growth in the telecommunication sector since the sector’s liberalisation in 2001.
Danbatta stated that the growth in the telecom industry has led to convergence in different sectors, especially between telecoms and financial service sector.
According to him, there is no greater demonstration of this than the fact that financial transactions that were once conducted in-person at banking halls are now undertaken on consumers’ mobile devices.
“Financial and commercial activities have been digitised, and the most common of this is the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), which has brought ease to financial transactions,” he said.
Danbatta declared that NCC embarked on various initiatives including the licensing of Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), effective utilization of spectrum, industry collaboration to address operators’ challenges, increased collaborations with relevant government agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria. A central objective of these initiatives is to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability of ubiquitous broadband services to drive growth in all sectors, including financial services sector.
The EVC explained further that the Commission has been working hard to ensure that broadband penetration gets to every part of the country.
He asserted that the number of active mobile subscriptions reached 195.4 million while Internet subscription has exceeded 141 million, because there has been increasing broadband penetration which stood at 40.88 per cent as at December 2021.
“Despite some of the challenges confronting the sector, telecommunications remained an enablers of growth in the Nigerian economy, in the year 2021.
“The Information and Communications sector contributed over N17 trillion to the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics,” Danbatta said to put the contribution of telecom and ICT in context that the audience could relate with.
Also, consistent with NCC’s focus to ensure that consumers get satisfaction, Danbatta disclosed that the Commission had finalised arrangements to establish the Telecom Consumer Assistance, Resolution and Enquiries (TELCARE) Desk.
The Desk, he said, will be strategically located in different parts of the county to serve as an additional platform to receive and facilitate the resolution of consumer complaints.
According to him, the Desk will also provide a means through which consumers and citizens can make inquiries on consumer issues; provide a platform for advocacy on any topical consumer issues and concerns, and further enhance awareness of the Commission’s activities.
He said the Desk will complement other existing initiatives of the Commission aimed at protecting the interest, privileges and rights of the consumers.
The EVC’s submissions were underscored by the Commission’s Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu, who declared that the theme of the WCRD is a reminder that “we all have the responsibility to protect the consumer from market abuses, exploitation, and injustices that erode the consumer’s rights, especially with respect to using digital financial services.”
Representatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), CBN, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators (ALTON), the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), National Disability Empowerment Forum (NDEF), telecom operators, among other stakeholders, commended the Commission for all its consumer-centric initiatives and assured of their continuing collaboration towards creating a safer cyber space for digital service users in Nigeria.
Earlier, as part of the activities slated for this year’s commemoration of the WCRD, the NCC had, on Monday, March 14, 2022, organised a debate for secondary school students in Abuja.
The debate focused on how the students use mobile devices to enhance their academic performances. The Commission seized the opportunity of the debate to enlighten the students on their rights and privileges, and to discuss other activities of the Commission.
Mart Networks, a leading cybersecurity distributor across Africa and the Middle East, has unveiled a specialized cybersecurity package tailored for fintech firms.
The solution, powered by Invinsense, Infopercept’s unified cybersecurity platform, aims to address the growing security needs of fintechs operating in highly regulated environments.
According to Moiz Maloo, Managing Director at Mart Networks, fintech companies face unique security challenges due to stringent regulatory requirements and increasing threats. “Most fintechs don’t have the luxury of multiple internal security teams or system integrators. With this focused offering, we’re providing an all-in-one platform with managed services built specifically for the fintech environment,” he said.
The offering integrates four key components: Invinsense XDR and Managed Detection & Response for real-time monitoring, Exposure Management for vulnerability detection, Security Compliance Management to support fintechs in meeting regulatory standards, and Cybersecurity Awareness Programs to empower teams against cyber threats.
Furthermore, the package includes deep application visibility, ensuring fintech-specific applications remain secure through Invinsense SIEM’s custom log ingestion capabilities. To reinforce protection, Infopercept’s engineering team will provide code-level fixes, patches, and infrastructure security enhancements.
With the rise of cloud-based fintech operations, the solution also incorporates full-stack cloud security, including API security, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM), and Application Security Posture Management (ASPM).
Mart Networks’ move underscores the growing importance of cybersecurity in Africa’s fintech sector, as financial services become increasingly digital and susceptible to evolving cyber threats.
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.
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.
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