From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has collaborated with the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders to address challenges confronting rural network connectivity in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Mrs Nnenna Ukoha, Acting Head, Public Affairs at the NCC, on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the collaboration resulted in a two-day workshop hosted in Abuja from Monday, June 3, to Tuesday, June 4, 2025, to explore a policy framework for enabling community networks to bridge the digital divide and accelerate socio-economic development in Nigeria’s underserved and unserved communities.
The forum brought together regulators, community leaders, technical experts, and potential foreign investors, among others, to examine policy and regulatory barriers, explore innovative funding mechanisms, ensure sustainable renewable solutions, and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders.
Addressing participants at the workshop, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said the workshop was important for bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and fostering inclusive socio-economic development.
“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here, which include the regulators, community leaders, technical experts, and potential foreign providers, to address critical challenges such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability, and institutional monitoring,” he said.
Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Abraham Oshadami, said the workshop demonstrated the Commission’s commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas. “At NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community centre networks in achieving this important goal,” he said.
The EVC said NCC was committed to the journey and viewed this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change. He stated that the expertise, perspectives, and commitments would shape a future where every Nigerian, regardless of their status, would have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.
In her remarks, Co-manager of the Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Network (LocNet) initiative, Kathleen Diga, noted that the collaboration aimed to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion.
“This is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities and opportunities that will remain in realising the values of a diversified ecosystem.”
Diga said, “I believe this workshop presents a moment in time when we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, cooperatives, among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled.” She emphasised the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists and is growing throughout the global south, which, she said, is a “strategic response to digital exclusion.”