*The Nigerian Communications Commission, Association for Progressive Communications, and other institutional stakeholders collaborate to address challenges confronting rural connectivity across the West African country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Association for Progressive Communications, and other institutional stakeholders have collaborated to address challenges confronting network connectivity in rural areas across the country.

The NCC disclosed the collaboration among the stakeholders resulted in a two-day workshop hosted June 3-4, 2025, in Abuja, FCT.

The Commission also stated the forum was organised to explore policy framework for enabling community networks towards bridging the digital divide, and accelerating socio-economic development in underserved and unserved communities in Nigeria.

It is equally noted the workshop attracted industry regulators, community leaders, technical experts, and prospective foreign investors, among others.

The NCC said the stakeholders examined policy and regulatory barriers, explored innovative funding mechanisms towards ensuring sustainable renewable solutions while strengthening collaboration with stakeholders.

In his address to participants in the workshop, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Acting Head of Public Affairs at NCC, in a statement, disclosed Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, said the workshop was important to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive social economic development in Nigeria.

Dr. Maida stated: 鈥淭his workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here.

“These include the regulators, community leaders, technical experts, and potential foreign providers to address the critical challenges, such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability and institutional monitoring.鈥�

Represented at the workshop by Engr. Abraham Oshadami, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services at NCC,聽 the EVC/CEO also noted the forum demonstrated the Commission鈥檚 commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas.

He further said: 鈥淎t NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community center networks in achieving this important goal.”

The NCC Executive Vice-Chairman restated聽 the Commission’s commitment to 鈥渢his journey and views this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change.”

According to him, the participants’ expertise, perspectives and commitments would shape the future where every Nigerian consumer, regardless of his or her status, would have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.

In her remarks, Kathleen Diga, Co-Manager of the Association for Progressive Communications鈥� Local Network (LocNet) initiative, said the collaboration among the stakeholders was meant to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion.

Diga stated: 鈥淭his is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities, opportunities that will remain in realising values of a diversified ecosystem.

鈥淚 believe this workshop presents a moment in time that we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, corporative among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled.鈥�

She also emphasised the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists and they are grow throughout the global south, which, she said, are a 鈥渟trategic response to digital exclusion.鈥�

The Commission revealed the workshop as well featured presentations from the telecoms sector regulator, the Association for Progressive Communications, and other institutional stakeholders, including the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The effort was all geared towards exploring a joint policy framework to address rural digital divide, stated the NCC.

The Association for Progressive Communications is a 35-year-old international network member-based organisation encouraging digital inclusion in the unserved communities, particularly with communities in the global south.

The workshop, through its LocNet initiative, aimed at crafting an enabling inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria, the Commission said in the statement.

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