Nigeria has achieved a significant milestone in digital transformation readiness, securing a high ranking in the latest report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The country was rated at 71 percent in comparative legal, policy, and governance frameworks, placing it among the top nations globally in readiness for advanced digital transformation, or G5, alongside Germany, Finland, and Singapore.
The report, titled “Collaborative Regulation: Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation”, was conducted by the ITU and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO),and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and unveiled by Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, at the Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja on Monday. Nigeria was ranked among Africa’s top seven in the BEMECS 5G Readiness Index, highlighting the country’s preparedness for the deployment and adoption of mass-market 5G networks.
The report, presented by ITU’s Kagwira Nkonge, showcases Nigeria’s progress in transitioning towards collaborative digital governance, evidence-based policy-making, and agile regulation in the digital economy. It was presented to key industry stakeholders, including service providers, government agencies, multilateral institutions, the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), and the Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU).
Assessing the policy and regulatory environments across countries, the report used the Generations of Regulation frameworks to track telecom regulatory maturity towards digital transformation readiness. Nigeria currently stands at G4, just below the advanced G5 state of readiness.
Nigeria achieved impressive scores across several benchmarks:
– 91 percent in regulatory capacity,
– 82 percent in market rules,
– 81 percent in collaborative governance,
– 76 percent in legal instruments for ICT/telecom markets,
– 69 percent in national digital agenda policy.
Dr. Tijani praised the ITU and its partners for their work on the report and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to utilizing it to achieve robust digital economy goals. “We will continue to ensure we have cutting-edge modern regulations to support our sector and increase local content,” he said.
Highlighting the evolving role of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Tijani noted, “Fifteen, twenty years ago, NCC was just regulating the telecommunications sector. Today, NCC regulates the foundation for which any economy would be prosperous.”
Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, hosted the presentation and welcomed the report’s indicators that promote effective regulation, greater investment attraction, and innovative models for broader digital inclusion. He emphasized that collaborative regulation would bolster Nigeria’s transition towards effective digital governance, evidence-based policy making, and agile regulation.