By Chioma Obinagwam
Nigeria’s apex telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has partnered with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and other stakeholders to tackle barriers to rural network connectivity in Nigeria.
Confiance News reports from a statement issued by NCC on Wednesday.
A two-day workshop held in Abuja on June 3-4, 2025, focused on developing a policy framework to support community networks, aiming to bridge the digital divide and drive socio-economic development in Nigeria’s underserved and unserved communities.
The event convened regulators, community leaders, technical experts, and potential foreign investors to discuss policy and regulatory challenges, innovative funding models, sustainable solutions, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration.
NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, represented by Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, emphasized the workshop’s role in fostering digital inclusion and socio-economic growth. “This workshop allows us to leverage the expertise of diverse stakeholders to address critical issues like affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure, sustainability, and institutional monitoring,” Maida stated.
He reaffirmed NCC’s commitment to digital inclusion, highlighting community networks’ transformative potential in underserved areas. “This workshop is a catalyst for meaningful change, ensuring every Nigerian has access to digital opportunities,” he added.
Kathleen Diga, Co-manager of APC’s Local Network (LocNet) initiative, stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to overcome digital inclusion barriers. “This workshop is a space to explore bottom-up approaches through local communities, small enterprises, and cooperatives to address persistent digital gaps,” she said, noting that community networks are a strategic response to digital exclusion across the global south.
Presentations from NCC, APC, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) explored a unified policy framework to address the rural digital divide.
APC, a 35-year-old international network, promotes digital inclusion in underserved communities, particularly in the global south. Through its LocNet initiative, the workshop aimed to create an inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria.
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