THE Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Wada Maida, said on Tuesday that Nigerians consumed over 1.66 million terabytes of data in one year.
News Point Nigeria reports that Dr Maida disclosed this at the Onomo Allure Hotel, Abuja, during the opening ceremony of a two-day Nigeria Digital Connectivity and Investments Forum organised by the Commission in partnership with SwedFund and Okla.
Dr Maida said the figure represented a 47 per cent increase in data consumption by Nigerians compared with the 1.33 million terabytes consumed in the previous year.
In light of this, the EVC said Nigeria would need sustained investment and network expansion to improve the telecom consumer experience.
The Forum had the theme: “Unblocking Infrastructure Investments Through Data, Transparency and Partnership.”
He said the Investments Forum was organised as Nigeria marked 25 years of GSM, noting that policy reforms and a transparent licensing process gave private investors the confidence to enter the telecom market.
According to him, the Forum also provided all stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss openly and develop robust recommendations to move the sector forward in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of achieving a one-trillion-dollar economy for the country.
He said the NCC had been working to improve conditions for investment in the telecom sector, taking its mandate seriously alongside its duty to protect consumers and promote fair competition in the industry.
Dr Maida said, “We have been working to improve the conditions for investment. The 2025 tariff adjustment addressed the financial pressures on operators and their ability to invest, with a clear expectation of better service for consumers.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure has strengthened the basis for protecting these assets.
“Our engagement with state governments on Right of Way is also helping to address deployment costs.
“We know that investors need confidence in how rules will be applied and how decisions will be made. We also know that there is more work to do on the practical difficulties of deployment.
“This forum is an opportunity to discuss those difficulties openly with the people who can help resolve them. We are making evidence-based decision-making central to how we regulate.
“For investors, that should mean a clearer understanding of where the opportunities lie and greater confidence in the basis for our decisions. For us, it means understanding what is holding investment back, choosing our interventions carefully and checking whether they work.”
In her remarks, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, said it was clear that her country was committed to building on its 65-year relationship with Nigeria, as evidenced by the large number of Swedish representatives attending the investment forum.