Focus on economy-wide digital transformation, WATRA urges FG
The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, has called on Nigeria to build on the success of its telecommunications reforms and focus on the next phase of development: economy-wide digital transformation. Speaking in Lagos at the Policy Review Workshop on the National Telecommunications Policy 2000, organised by […]
The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, has called on Nigeria to build on the success of its telecommunications reforms and focus on the next phase of development: economy-wide digital transformation.
Speaking in Lagos at the Policy Review Workshop on the National Telecommunications Policy 2000, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on behalf of the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Mr. Aboki argued that while Nigeria’s telecommunications liberalisation stands as one of Africa’s most successful public policy interventions, the country’s future competitiveness will depend on how effectively it converts connectivity into productivity, innovation, digital inclusion, and economic growth.
The workshop brought together policymakers, regulators, operators, industry stakeholders, and experts to review the implementation and future direction of Nigeria’s telecommunications policy framework.
Aboki described the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 as transformative reforms that fundamentally changed Nigeria’s communications landscape.
“Twenty-five years ago, telecommunications in Nigeria was characterised by scarcity, limited access, long waiting lists and inadequate infrastructure,” he said.
“Today, Nigeria has become Africa’s largest telecommunications market by subscriber base, attracting more than US$75 billion in investment and creating one of the continent’s most dynamic digital ecosystems,” he added.
He noted that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector now contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and has become a critical enabler of financial services, commerce, entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, and public service delivery.
While celebrating the achievements of the telecommunications sector, Aboki stressed that the policy review should focus not only on past successes but on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“The evidence of success is already clear,” he said. “The more important question is how we use that foundation to drive the next phase of economic and social transformation.”
According to him, the future policy agenda must move beyond expanding connectivity to creating conditions for broader digital adoption, innovation, productivity growth, and digital participation across society.
He argued that broadband infrastructure should increasingly be treated as critical national infrastructure, alongside transport, power, and other strategic assets.