From left: Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO, NCC; Dr. Aminu Maida, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Engr. Nadungu Gagare, and Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management of NCC, Barr. Rimini Makama at the Heads of Regulators Roundtable During the 7th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) in Abuja. Photo credit: NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, has made a strong case for a harmonised telecommunication and digital governance framework for African countries, which can only be achieved through a deeper and sustained collaboration among African Telecommunications and Communications Regulators.

Speaking at the Heads of Regulators Roundtable during the African Telecommunications Union ATU, Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26), held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO, of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida also noted that deeper collaboration among African Telecommunications and Communications Regulators had become expedient to strengthen the use of data, evidence, market intelligence, digital transformation, and national development across the continent.

According to a statement by the Head, Public Affairs Department of the NCC, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, the NCC-boss further noted that communications regulation has become increasingly central to economic growth, digital transformation, and national development across the African continent, a development that makes such cooperation necessary and expedient.

He argued though telecoms regulators operate within different market environments and legal frameworks, they face several common challenges.

These challenges, according to him include infrastructure development, cybersecurity, affordability, satellite services, resilience of networks, and the rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence AI, technologies.

“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. This fact reinforces the need to make knowledge-sharing more deliberate, systematic, and beneficial to regulatory authorities across Africa.

“Exchanges among regulators often reveal shared experiences and lessons that could help institutions to address complex policy and regulatory issues more effectively”, Dr. Maida said.

While commenting on the event proper, he described the theme of the 2026 edition of the Conference: “Building Africa’s Network Intelligence Ecosystem for Evidence-Based Regulation”, as both timely and highly relevant to the future of communications regulation on the African continent.

He said: “It gives us an opportunity to consider how better use of data, evidence and market intelligence can strengthen regulatory decisions, and how African regulators can learn more systematically from one another.”

The NCC-boss further observed that Heads of Regulators Roundtable forms part of ongoing efforts by African communications regulators at promoting evidence-based regulation, enhancing regional cooperation, and building more resilient, innovative and consumer-focused communications ecosystems across the continent.

Executive Commissioner of the NCC, in charge of Stakeholder Management ECSM, Rimini Makama, who the Chair of the roundtable, noted that developments such as broadband expansion, satellite services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital public infrastructure are making communications ecosystems increasingly complex and requiring regulators to move beyond traditional regulatory approaches.

Makama noted that regulators across Africa then, had access to growing volumes of technical, market and consumer data.

She, however, stressed that the real challenge lies in translating this information into actionable intelligence capable of supporting better regulatory outcomes in the ecosystem.