After $75bn telecom boom, Nigeria must focus on digital transformation — Aboki

Nigeria must move beyond the telecommunications boom that attracted more than $75 billion in investment over the past 25 years and focus on economy-wide digital transformation to unlock its next phase of growth, Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, the executive secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), has said.

Aboki, who made the call at the Policy Review Workshop on the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said Nigeria’s telecommunications liberalisation remains one of Africa’s most successful policy reforms but warned that future economic growth would depend on how effectively the country converts connectivity into productivity, innovation and digital inclusion.

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According to him, the telecommunications reforms that began 25 years ago transformed Nigeria from a country struggling with limited telephone access into Africa’s largest telecom market by subscriber numbers.

He noted that the sector has attracted more than $75 billion in investment over the years and helped create a vibrant digital ecosystem that now supports financial services, commerce, education, healthcare and public service delivery.

“Twenty-five years ago, telecommunications in Nigeria was characterised by scarcity, limited access, long waiting lists and inadequate infrastructure,” Aboki said.

While acknowledging the achievements of the sector, he argued that policymakers must now focus on a broader challenge: ensuring that digital technologies drive economic and social development across all sectors.

“The evidence of success is already clear. The more important question is how we use that foundation to drive the next phase of economic and social transformation,” he said.

His comments come at a time when Nigeria is pursuing ambitious plans to expand broadband penetration, strengthen digital infrastructure and increase the contribution of the digital economy to national output.

Aboki said future policy should place greater emphasis on digital adoption, innovation, productivity growth and wider participation in the digital economy rather than simply increasing connectivity levels.

One of the major lessons from the country’s telecom journey, he noted, is that service liberalisation advanced much faster than investment in critical infrastructure.

According to him, mobile services expanded rapidly, but investments in fibre backbone networks, metropolitan fibre systems and rural broadband infrastructure did not always keep pace with rising demand.

As a result, he called for stronger support for long-term infrastructure investment, infrastructure sharing arrangements, right-of-way reforms and the development of resilient broadband networks.

This remains one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria’s digital ambitions. Although mobile connectivity is widespread, gaps in fibre infrastructure, unreliable power supply and high deployment costs continue to slow broadband expansion, particularly in underserved communities.

Aboki also urged policymakers to broaden the scope of future reforms to include emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital trade, digital public infrastructure and data governance.

According to him, leading digital economies increasingly view telecommunications not as a standalone industry but as a platform for innovation, industrial development and global competitiveness.

“The conversation is no longer only about connecting people. It is increasingly about creating the digital foundations that enable economies to innovate, compete, create jobs and participate in global value chains,” he said.

He further stressed the importance of regional digital integration, arguing that Africa’s digital economy cannot reach its full potential if countries continue to operate as isolated markets.

Aboki said stronger cooperation among regional institutions such as WATRA, ECOWAS, the African Union, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would help harmonise regulations and create larger markets capable of attracting greater investment.

He identified spectrum management, cybersecurity, roaming services, cross-border infrastructure, digital payments and data governance as areas where regional collaboration could deliver significant benefits.

“Africa cannot fully realise its digital economy potential as 54 disconnected digital markets,” he said.

The WATRA chief also warned that connectivity alone would not guarantee digital transformation. He said governments must ensure that citizens, businesses, schools and healthcare institutions are able to make meaningful use of digital technologies.

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This, he noted, requires investments in digital skills, affordable internet access, local content development and citizen-focused digital services.

He called on governments to accelerate the digitisation of public services to drive adoption and ensure that the benefits of technology are shared across all segments of society.

Aboki’s intervention reflects a growing policy shift across Africa, where attention is increasingly moving from basic connectivity targets to broader questions of digital productivity, innovation and economic competitiveness.

For Nigeria, the challenge now may not be getting more people online, but ensuring that digital infrastructure translates into jobs, industrial growth, improved public services and stronger participation in the global digital economy.

“If the first era of reform was primarily about connectivity, the next era must be about economy-wide digital transformation,” Aboki said.