Telecom
Ndukwe Lists Factors for Sustaining Telecom Growth
Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has listed the prerequisites for sustaining the successes recorded in the sector in the last ten years.
Engr. Ndukwe who spoke as guest speaker at the maiden edition of “Breakfast With ” , hosted by the alumni association of the School of Media and Communications at the Pan African University in Lagos, said such factors include a regulatory regime that is independent, transparent, and predictable; an updated national telecom policy and laws, a conducive operational environment; an efficient frequency spectrum management and allocation; improved power supply; expansion of the broadband infrastructure, capacity building of indigenous manpower, stable financial stability, among others.
At the breakfast meeting which held at the Ahmed Onibudo campus of the university and chaired by Professor Juan Elegido, the Vice Chancellor, the NCC boss noted that the successes recorded by the Commission in the past ten years is attributed to the successful sector reform, made possible by conducive environment with respect to policies and the regulatory regime.
“I think to sustain the growth, we must lay emphasis to a few things and I will start by advocating that we must maintain stability in the policy and regulatory environment”, he said. He said these two factors are critical for any investor to make an investment decision.
Engr. Ndukwe whose audience included Engr. Vincent Maduka, former director general of NTA, Professor Emevwo Biakolo, the dean of the School of Communications, Mr. Ben Egbuna, former director general of FRCN, Mr. Olukayode Olubunmi, president of SMCA, said the current telecom policy in Nigeria needs to be updated, while the forward-looking 2003 Act needs to be revisited to accommodate one or two emergent issues in the sector.
The NCC boss said with hindsight of experience, it is critical that the financial and operational independence of the regulator is maintained. “Why we moved as fast as we did over this period is as a result of fair amount of regulatory independence that the organization had”, he said. He said this independence is not just independence from the political hierarchy but also from the operating companies, which he said, makes financial independence very critical too.
He said it is not wrong for investors to make profit as it was government’s decision to invite the investors and without returns on such investments, perhaps, Nigeria’s paltry 400,000 lines in 2001 would not have grown to the more than 70 million active subscriber lines today. “Our focus should not only be that money is being made in the industry but that this decision of government has suddenly changed the landscape and provided phones in the hands of most
Nigerians, and provided telephone “access” because even if you do not own a phone, you will likely find a place to make calls near your location today”, he said.
Ndukwe said apart from efficient management of the frequency spectrum, the regulator must always ensure that frequencies are earmarked for new services are reserved in order to enable the country to be on same page with the rest of the world. He said this is the reason why Nigeria is quite active at the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, at the moment.
“I think also going forward, we must emphasize on growing broadband infrastructure, and not just growing it for the sake of it but catalyzing its adoption and usage, nationwide”, he said. He hoped that the ongoing optics fibre infrastructure deployment going on in the country will accelerate broadband Internet adoption and usage.
While relating this to his pet concept, Fibre Without Borders”, Engr. Ndukwe said “even within the African continent, we should encourage building of optic fibre that links the countries of Africa because that will help us do local peering of Internet, keep local networks linked to each other, reduce price of communicating within the countries in Africa and perhaps greatly increase broadband speed”.
He also noted that the much the nation is able to develop the manpower resources available for the industry will determine how the industry performs in the next ten years and beyond. He cited some countries like India that export such resources to other parts of the world. Ndukwe said the Digital Bridge Institute which was NCC’s contribution to this capacity budging requirement is currently waiting the approval of its application to the National University Commission, NUC, for approval as a university.
He said some areas that are external to the telecom industry but very critical for its success are the power sector and banking and finance sectors of the economy. He advocated for an idea regional management where each state of the federation will have the responsibility to generate and provide power to the state. He wondered why many countries that are less in geographical spread and population than any given state in Nigeria were able to enthrone uninterruptible power supply over the years.
Ndukwe who recalled his parts in the telecom industry as a private operator and President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria before he joined the NCC, said he has had an interesting and fulfilling time.
“It’s been a big part of my life and I consider myself really opportune to be in this place at this time especially in the past ten years in seeing the telecom industry transform to what it is today.
“And obviously, in thinking about sustaining the growth also means that it is still work in progress and there is still much to be done despite the achievements we have been made so far”, he said.
Professor Elegido praised Engr. Ndukwe for the transformational work he had bequeathed to the Nigeria’s telecom industry, and the Nigerian nation in finding its feet in the committee of nations.
News
NITDA Communications Director Hadiza Umar Named in 2026 PR Power List, Graces Glazia Magazine Cover
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Director of the Corporate Communications and Media Relations Department at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has been officially recognised as one of Nigeria’s top public relations professionals in the prestigious 2026 PR Power List.
The definitive annual list, compiled by GLG Communications in partnership with The Guardian, was unveiled to commemorate World PR Day.
It celebrates 50 outstanding professionals within Nigeria and the diaspora whose strategic communication strategies have significantly shaped organisations, influenced public discourse, and advanced the profession over the past 12 months.
Adding to the momentous milestone, Mrs. Umar was hit with a major surprise at the exclusive PR Power List Soirée and Awards ceremony held at the Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, where she was unveiled as a front-cover personality for the Glazia Magazine PR Power List Special Issue.
The double recognition highlights her exceptional distinction and impact in public sector communications and narrative management.
Speaking on the dual achievement, Mrs. Umar expressed profound gratitude for the honours, describing the magazine cover appearance as a breathtaking surprise.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be recognized on the 2026 PR Power List and to feature on the cover of Glazia Magazine alongside other exceptional industry titans,” Umar said.
“This milestone is a testament to the enabling environment and visionary leadership of the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, which has allowed us to strategically drive the narrative of Nigeria’s digital economy and technological innovation.”
Mrs. Umar, a highly respected corporate communications strategist, holds professional fellowships in the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (Chartered), the African Public Relations Association (APRA), and the Institute of Corporate Administration (CICA).
Under her supervisory role, NITDA’s media relations have consistently projected national information technology frameworks, start-up support frameworks, and digital literacy initiatives, to position Nigeria competitively on the global stage.
The 2026 PR Power List selection process involved a rigorous, independent evaluation led by a distinguished international jury.
The organisers noted that the class of 2026 represents professionals raising the standard of strategic communications and introducing new ideas to the industry.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
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