Aminu Maida, the executive vice-chairman of NCC
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says its return to market-driven pricing has unlocked over $1 billion in telecoms infrastructure investment so far in 2025.
Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman (EVC) of the NCC, spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Friday.
Maida said the policy shift introduced in January and February allowed mobile network operators to raise tariffs by up to 50 percent after nearly a decade of price stagnation.
“This act alone has allowed investments to flow in. We will reveal more specific figures in the coming weeks after verification, but we are talking about over a billion dollars worth of investment in 2025 alone,” Maida said.
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He said the reform restored investor confidence and reversed years of underinvestment that had slowed network expansion and service quality upgrades.
Maida pointed out an imbalance in the value chain, saying tower companies could adjust prices annually for inflation and exchange rates, but mobile operators could not.
The EVC said the imbalance had discouraged capital inflows.
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“This is an industry that requires continuous investment. The world is moving ahead, and if we do not create the right conditions, we will be left behind,” he said.
The NCC boss added that the commission was reverting to the principles of the 2000 telecom policy and the 2003 communications Act, which empowered market forces to determine fair prices while ensuring competition to protect consumers.
Maida also said operators had begun taking delivery of new equipment in June, and network upgrades and expansion were already underway.
“We are closely tracking the rollout. We hold weekly calls with operators to monitor new sites, upgrades, and step in when they face challenges with authorities,” he said.
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On operational challenges, Maida noted that the industry consumes more than 40 million litres of diesel monthly to power base stations, most of which is imported and depends entirely on foreign exchange for network hardware and software.
“There is nothing you need to build or upgrade a network in Nigeria today that you can buy locally. Everything from the hardware to the software has to be imported, and that requires FX,” he said.
On infrastructure security, Maida said the NCC is working with the office of the national security adviser to develop region-specific rapid response frameworks, ranging from community engagement in coastal areas to stronger civil defence presence in high-risk zones.
The EVC added that the strategy goes beyond force, targeting root causes such as weak site security, generator theft, and community disputes.
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