By Chioma Obinagwam
In a major boost for telecom consumers, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have finalized a joint framework that promises near-instant refunds for unsuccessful airtime and data purchases, addressing one of the most common complaints in the country’s digital services sector.
NCC told Confiance News in a statement on Monday.
The new policy, developed after months of collaboration with mobile network operators (MNOs), banks, value-added service providers, and other stakeholders, targets failures caused by network downtimes, system glitches, human errors, or other issues where subscribers are debited but receive no value.
Key highlights of the framework include:
- Automatic refunds within 30 seconds for debited but undelivered airtime or data, regardless of whether the failure originates from the bank or an NCC-licensed operator.
- Refunds may extend up to 24 hours only if the transaction remains in a pending state.
- Mandatory SMS notifications to consumers confirming the success or failure of every transaction.
- Coverage for common issues such as erroneous recharges to ported numbers, incorrect purchases, or transfers to the wrong phone number.
The framework introduces enforceable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of MNOs and deposit money banks (DMBs) in processing transactions and resolving failures. To ensure accountability, the NCC and CBN will jointly operate a Central Monitoring Dashboard for real-time tracking of failed transactions, responsible parties, refunds issued, and any SLA breaches.
NCC Director of Consumer Affairs, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, highlighted the urgency of the initiative, noting that failed top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints.
”Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time,” she said.
She also expressed appreciation to stakeholders, especially the CBN, for their collaboration in delivering a solution that ensures consumers receive full value for their purchases.
Pending final management approvals from both regulators, MNOs and banks have already refunded over N10 billion to affected customers for failed transactions.
Confiance News gathered that the full implementation is slated to begin on March 1, 2026, following final approvals and completion of technical integrations across all involved parties.
Confiance News reports that this unified approach between the telecom and financial sectors marks a significant step toward stronger consumer protection, faster resolutions, and greater trust in digital payments for everyday services like airtime and data top-ups.
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