NCC invites public submissions for review of national telecoms policy

By Juliet Umeh

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on industry stakeholders and the public to submit written contributions as it begins the review of the 25-year-old National Telecommunications Policy (NTP 2000).

The consultation paper for the review has been published on the NCC website, with Friday, March 20, 2026, set as the deadline for submissions. Contributions can be addressed to the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission or sent via a dedicated email channel.

The Commission explained that the exercise is in line with its mandate under Section 24(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, which requires a public consultative process before formulating or reviewing policies for the communications sector.

The review follows the inauguration of a Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) and a Ministerial Technical Committee (MTC) by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to update the 25-year-old policy.

According to the NCC, the updated policy will align with the Minister’s strategic blueprint, Accelerating Our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency, focusing on spectrum management, universal access, broadband penetration, net neutrality, and quality of service (QoS).

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, highlighted that the NTP 2000 has helped transform Nigeria’s telecom sector from 500,000 lines to nearly 180 million active mobile connections over 25 years. He noted that the revised policy seeks to address emerging gaps, particularly the rising demand for data services and related challenges.

“The consultation process will involve multiple layers of engagement to ensure that the final draft reflects feedback from a broad range of stakeholders,” Maida said, adding that the draft NTP 2026 will undergo further consultation before statutory approval and validation.

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