NCC sets deadline for review of Nigeria's National Telecommunications Policy

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given interested industry stakeholders 20 March as a deadline for the ongoing review and submission of the National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) 2000.

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The Head of Public Affairs, NCC, Nnenna Ukoha, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ms Ukoha said that the submission was for those whose consultation paper had been published on the commission’s website.

“All submissions from stakeholders are to be addressed to the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission or sent to the dedicated email: [email protected].”

She said that the consultation process was in exercise of the commission’s functions under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003 and upon the activation of the provisions of Section 24 (1) of the Act.

According to her, the NTP review follows the inauguration of a Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) and a Ministerial Technical Committee (MTC).

“These committees are headed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, to commence the process of reviewing the NTP 2000,” she said.

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Ms Ukoha said that the policy review would also align with the minister’s strategic blueprint, accelerating collective prosperity through technical efficiency.

“The blueprint states that the ministry will drive the review of the telecoms policy to account for core issues such as spectrum management, universal access, broadband penetration, net neutrality and quality of service.

“The consultation process and its outcome will support the work of the MSC and the Implementation Committee (IC) in coming up with a reviewed policy that will meet the current challenges of the communications sector.

“It will also keep up with the rapid and dynamic changes since the current NTP was issued 25 years ago,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Aminu Maida, said in the published consultation paper that the process would lead to the development of the first draft of the NTP 2026.

Mr Maida said that this would replace the existing NTP 2000, following 25 years of implementation.

“The draft will also undergo further consultations to enable stakeholders to make more input before a final draft is subjected to the statutory policy approval and validation processes.

“The NTP 2000 has been instrumental to advancing Nigeria’s telecom sector from where it was 25 years ago, from a mere 500,000 lines to almost 180 million active mobile connections as of December 2026.”

He said that one of the gaps that the revised policy sought to address was the increased demand for data services and their externalities.

“This is a first step in the consultation process and there will be other layers of engagements, to ensure that the final draft accommodates varied expertise, feedback and inputs from a cross-section of stakeholders.”

Mr Maida urged stakeholders to take the opportunity to participate in developing the policy that would take the communications sector to the next level after the immeasurable successes attained since 2000.

He said that the NTP 2000 marked a major progression from older policies, aiming for liberalisation, modernisation, and competition under the then-nascent democratic government.

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According to him, the NTP replaced the 1998 Policy and successfully paved the way for the growth of mobile telephony and the eventual NCA 2003 by focusing on market deregulation and stakeholder consultation.

“In the ongoing review, there are 15 key policy proposals, which form the baseline for the review and potential changes to the existing NTP and provide both the context and policy purpose for necessary changes.

“The policy proposal caters to regulation of the industry, its sustainability, emerging technologies, national security, among others,” he said.

He said that the expected feedback would guide the review and amendment of the NTP in line with the expectations of the NCA 2003.

“The consultation process is open to licensees in the Nigerian communications sector, consumers, agencies of government, international agencies, partners, entities, civil society organisations, individuals and other interested stakeholders,” he said.

(NAN)