By SCM Technology Reporter
ABUJA — In a decisive bid to reposition the continent’s telecommunications landscape for the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, satellite communications, and digital public infrastructure, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rallied regulators across Africa to embrace systematic collaboration and evidence-based governance.
Speaking at the Heads of Regulators Roundtable during the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) gathering in Abuja, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, warned that isolated national regulatory efforts are no longer sufficient to drive Africa’s digital economy forward.
Addressing delegates at the session themed “Building Africa’s Network Intelligence Ecosystem for Evidence-Based Regulation,” Maida observed that despite operating within varied legal frameworks and market scales, African regulators face remarkably identical operational hurdles—ranging from infrastructure deficits and cybersecurity threats to satellite integration and AI governance.
”Very often, the challenge one regulator is trying to solve has already been encountered, in one form or another, by a colleague elsewhere on the continent,” Maida stated. “The question before us is how we make the exchange of experience more deliberate, systematic, and actionable for all our institutions.”
Maida noted that regulatory decisions must increasingly rely on robust market intelligence, real-time analytics, and cross-border data sharing to safeguard investments and deliver superior Quality of Experience (QoE) for African consumers.
Traditional Telecom Rules Obsolete, Says NCC Commissioner
Reinforcing the EVC’s position, Ms. Rimini Makama, NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management and Chair of the Roundtable, declared that legacy regulatory frameworks crafted for voice-centric eras can no longer keep pace with modern technical disruptions.
Makama pointed out that while African regulators now collect unprecedented volumes of technical, compliance, and consumer data, the primary hurdle lies in distilling that raw information into proactive regulatory policy.
”The old regulatory approaches were built for a simpler time. They are no longer enough,” Makama emphasized. “Our markets are no longer simple. Broadband is expanding rapidly, satellite services are arriving at scale, and AI, cloud computing, and digital public infrastructure are reshaping our entire economic fabric. To stay ahead, regulators must transition from reactive oversight to data-driven regulatory intelligence.”
She highlighted Nigeria’s deployment of an integrated regulatory intelligence platform that aggregates consumer feedback, compliance analytics, Quality of Service (QoS), and Quality of Experience (QoE) parameters into a single operational interface to guide policy decisions.
Continental Praise for Nigeria’s Infrastructure Monitoring Model
Commending Nigeria’s leadership role, the Director-General of the Regional Africa Satellite Communications Organisation (RASCOM), Timothy Ashong, described the NCC’s data-driven initiatives as a model for the continent.
Ashong specifically singled out Nigeria’s technology infrastructure that allows regulators, operators, and consumers to track fibre cuts and network disruptions in real time, urging other African nations to replicate the system. He further called on African countries to diversify their connectivity models by investing simultaneously in terrestrial fibre optic networks and satellite communications to guarantee cross-border resilience and bridge the digital divide.
Background to the Story: Understanding Africa’s Telecom Governance Shift
The push for regional regulatory harmonization comes at a critical juncture in Africa’s technological journey. Historically, telecommunications regulation on the continent operated in silos, with national agencies focusing primarily on voice licensing, spectrum allocation, and basic service standards within their geographical borders.
However, several macro-trends have forced a re-evaluation of this legacy approach:
The Emergence of Frontier Technologies: The swift adoption of generative AI, multi-cloud computing, and Next-Generation Satellite Constellations (such as LEO satellites) operates beyond traditional national boundaries, posing unique challenges around cross-border data governance, spectrum interference, and consumer privacy.
Infrastructure Vulnerabilities: Subsea cable disruptions and terrestrial fibre cuts repeatedly highlight Africa’s shared network fragilities. Coordinated real-time intelligence ecosystems allow neighboring nations to reroute traffic and maintain continental uptime.
Harmonized Continental Strategy: Through the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), member states are aligning their regulatory stances to present a unified African voice at global bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ensuring the continent actively shapes international telecom standards rather than merely consuming them.
By hosting the Heads of Regulators Roundtable in Abuja, the NCC reinforces Nigeria’s standing as a focal point for digital policy innovation in Africa, charting a course toward a unified, data-empowered digital economy across the continent.