Telecom
NDEPS has Impacted Nigerian Economy Significantly — Prof. Pantami
The implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, (NDEPS) in less than two years of its launching has been said to have had a significant impact on the Nigeria’s economy with the digital sector contributing to the GDP an unprecedented 17.90% in second quarter of 2021 from 13.83% in 2018.
Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, disclosed this in his keynote speech titled “Driving the Implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria: The Journey So Far” in Athens, Greece at the just concluded 14th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2021.)
The Minister, who was represented at the conference by Mallam kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general, National Information Technology Development Agency, decried Nigeria’s loss at previous industrial revolution maintained that Nigeria has to make strategic decision to join the digital bandwagon as it cannot be left behind in this digital age.
He said, “We lost totally in the past industrial age but we must not lose in today’s digitalization and the digital economy, driven by the Fourth Industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 is the next phase of digitalization.
“The digital economy is developing at a remarkable rate, and it has been widely accepted that it is the single most important driver of innovation, competitiveness and growth.”
Prof. Pantami expressed that the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG) would largely relies on the increased proliferation of new technologies and innovations that is currently revolutionizing all sectors of the global economy.
While ascribing that the success Nigeria is recording recently to the re-designation of ministry of communications to Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the launch of the NDEPS, the minister said “these timely and strategic actions have positioned Nigeria as an early adopter of the digital economy paradigm with the aim of taking advantage of the many opportunities that it provides.
He stated that the alignment of the NDEPS with the three focus areas of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of economic diversification, fight against corruption and security has contributed to the growth of the nation’s economy.
While listing 16 policies the ministry under his supervision has initiated, the minister noted that the strategic implementation of these policies and foundational initiatives of the NDEPS served as the catalyst for enabling Nigeria to exit recession after the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quoting from the report of the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) Prof Pantami maintained that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector recorded the highest growth rate of all sectors of the Nigerian economy, in both the fourth quarter of 2020 (Q4 2020) and the entire year.
“The 14.7% growth rate of the ICT sector was greater than the combined 14.21% growth of the 2nd to 7th fastest growing sectors in Nigeria in 2020.
“The telecommunications sector also recorded a growth rate of 15.90% and this was its highest growth rate in the last 10 years.
“The NBS released the Q1 2021 report and the ICT sector retained its position as the fastest-growing sector of the economy, contributing 14.91%.
“In the second quart of 2021, ICT contributed an unprecedented 17.92% of Nigeria’s GDP. The Digital Economy sector has therefore proven to be vital for the diversification of the economy,” the stated.
On the nation’s security, the minister explained that various initiatives adopted are providing necessary solutions to the insecurity challenge the country is facing.
He noted that the recent presidential directive for the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to be moved to the Ministry is part of the government’s efforts towards accelerating the implementation of the Digital Identity Programme and enhancing security in the country.
He stated further that the country has recorded surge in the implementation of SIM-NIN linkage which stands at 64 million Nigerians with completed NIN registration.
He added that the government is committed to ensuring that the nation’s cyber space is safer with various initiatives.
On the issue of fighting corruption in the public sector, the minister stated that the government has establishes an automated IT projects Clearance process which aimed at eliminating duplication and ensure the nation derive value for her money in the implementation of ICT projects in the country adding that “From 2017 to date, the IT Projects Clearance program has registered 1,048 users, cleared 485 projects and saved N22,859,306,220.96 billion (about $58,764,283.34) for the Federal Government.”
He said, “At the Federal level, I have led the process of improving and transforming our governance processes through the implementation of different Government Digital Transformation instruments and programs such as capacity building for civil servants in different categories, the Nigeria e-Government Interoperability Framework (Ne-GIF), the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA), the National Cloud Computing Policy, National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Government Digital Service Framework, Establishment of Digital Transformation Technical Working Groups (DT-TWGs) and ultimately, the Digital Government Transformation Performance Assessment and Toolkit through which we are here at the ICEGOV 2021 to share our experience of making IT deployment in our the public sector more efficient and creating new economic sector from Government Digital Transformation efforts.”
He mentioned the Nigerian Smart Initiative has seen to the launch of National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture which is designed to use ICTs and emerging technologies to support the Federal Government in its drive to create more jobs for the youthful population and attract them into agriculture, improve food production, increase wealth and income of farmers and agricultural value chain players, improve food security, promote access to international food markets and ultimately a means of economic diversification.
Similarly, he stated that National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE) is a model introduced to the young ones early enough and introduce them to the world of technology in an engaging and innovative way.
On the Nigeria data Protection regulation, (NDPR) Prof. Pantami explained that within two years of launch, it has created about over 2000 jobs with the industry worth over $32 million.
The Minister however used the platform to appeal to the participants at the conference to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s digital economy and that of Africa and the world at large.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that Nigeria’s internet usage reached a record 1.24 million terabytes in November 2025.
According to the latest data from the NCC, the figure rose modestly from 1.235 million terabytes in October, reflecting steady growth in digital activity across the country.
Broadband penetration in Nigeria crossed the halfway mark in November 2025, reaching 50.58 per cent, up from 45.61 per cent in January, the telecoms regulator reported.
The figure, however, falls short of the 70 per cent coverage target outlined in the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025, which expires this month.
The country had roughly 109 million broadband subscriptions by November. Growth has been uneven, hindered by infrastructure and regulatory constraints, including frequent fibre-optic vandalism that triggers 30 to 43 network cuts daily, high right-of-way fees, and declining subscriber numbers earlier in the year.
Expansion of mobile networks, particularly 3G and 4G services, alongside limited 5G rollouts in urban centres, affordable smartphones, and competitive data plans, has driven uptake.
Investments in the National Communications Backbone and private-sector initiatives have also improved access, especially in underserved areas.
While Nigeria is gradually improving digital inclusion, achieving the original broadband plan remains challenging due to high infrastructure costs, coverage limitations, and deployment hurdles.
The NCC maintains that continued investment in mobile networks and broadband infrastructure will sustain gradual growth in the sector.
Commenting on the development, some Nigerian analysts attributed the surge to the broader mobile and broadband adoption and the growing appetite for streaming, online learning and other digital services.
According to the analysts, the figures suggest that internet connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity for both business and leisure, underscoring the slow but steady expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
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