Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission – NCC has urged the newly inaugurated Nigeria IPv6 Council to develop a credible pathway to raise Nigeria’s IPv6 adoption from approximately 5% today to a level that places us among Africa’s leading nations within the next three years.

He stated this at the inauguration of Nigeria IPv6 Council in Lagos yesterday. Quoting APNIC’s 2026 global measurements, “Nigeria’s IPv6 adoption stands at approximately 5% while leading economies have surpassed 40%. Global IPv4 reserves are exhausted, while the rapid expansion of 5G networks, the Internet of Things, cloud services, and AI-driven applications has pushed the limits of legacy internet addressing.

“At the same time, the cyber-threat landscape continues to intensify. In this context, IPv6 is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security, and economic sovereignty.”

Dr. Maida urged the Council to drive collaboration between stakeholders to ensure alignment with the National IPv6 Deployment Strategy.

“To our operators, government colleagues, and enterprise partners, the time for the adoption of, and prioritisation of IPv6 deployment across your networks and platforms is now. Invest in training your technical teams,and ensure that your infrastructure and procurement pipelines are IPv6-ready by default. The investments you make today will determine Nigeria’s digital competitiveness tomorrow.”

The commission mandated the Council to establish a monitoring and reporting framework; Including providing quarterly progress updates to the Commission and an annual State of IPv6 Deployment report to the nation.

More so, drive capacity building and certification by partnering with AFRINIC, academic institutions, and professional bodies to train a critical mass of IPv6-certified engineers across Nigeria.

Champion public sector leadership by working with MDAs to migrate government networks, websites, and e-services to dual-stack or IPv6-native configurations, so that the public sector leads by example.

Engage industry players and the private sector, working with operators, ISPs, data centres, content providers, and financial institutions to remove deployment barriers and unlock private investment in IPv6 infrastructure.

They were also urged to advise on policy and regulation, recommending to the Commission the incentives, standards, and procurement guidelines required to accelerate nationwide adoption.

Mr. Muhammed Rudman, chairman of the Nigeria IPv6 Council in his presentation said that With IPv4 addresses exhausted worldwide, continued reliance on legacy resource creates scalability bottlenecks.

“Our growing digital economy is projected to reach $18.3 billion in revenue by 2026—requires modern addressing capabilities. Without urgent IPv6 transition, Nigeria risks being left behind as emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, and cloud services demand the expanded address space only IPv6 can provide

“IPv6 is essential for Nigeria’s digital transformation, providing the foundation for unlimited connectivity, enhanced security, and next-generation technologies that will drive economic growth and innovation.

“IPv6 provides 340 undecillion IP addresses, ensuring every device in Nigeria can connect directly to the internet without costly workarounds or address sharing.

“Built-in IPsec encryption improves network security. Enables IoT, cloud computing, AI, and smart city initiatives critical to Nigeria’s digital economy, he added.

As a catalyst for National Development, he said IPv6 enables expansion of digital services, e-commerce platforms, and fintech solutions, driving economic diversification and job creation across Nigeria.

“Expanded internet access reaches underserved communities while seamless device integration connects millions of Nigerians to the digital economy.

IPv6 provides the foundation for IoT deployments, smart city initiatives, and AI-powered services that will transform Nigeria’s technological landscape,” he stated.

A high-level UK delegation has concluded a week-long skills and schools trade mission to Nigeria, marking a significant step forward in education and skills cooperation between the two countries.

Running from 19-23 April 2026 across Abuja and Lagos State, the mission brought together leading UK private schools, skills providers, and education institutions with Nigerian partners, schools, and the Honourable Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa.

The mission follows the high profile and well received state visit to the UK in March, which also included education engagements.  Supported by the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the mission forms part of its new International Education Strategy, under which Nigeria has been identified as one of five priority education markets, spearheaded by Professor Sir Steve Smith, who is looking forward to visiting the country again this year.

The mission focused on in-country delivery of education, the establishment of world-renowned UK schools in Nigeria, and the development of skills and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems aligned with industry demand.

In Abuja, the delegation met with Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, securing strong political backing for UK–Nigeria education partnerships and set the groundwork for ongoing institutional collaboration across both schools and skills.

In Lagos, delegates engaged further with potential partners and investors. In both cities the delegation was thrilled to visit local British curriculum schools and colleges to further enable them to experience first-hand the teaching and learning environment.

British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, said: “The UK and Nigeria share a deep and longstanding relationship, and opportunities in education are one of its most exciting frontiers.

“This mission has demonstrated the strong appetite on both sides to deepen collaboration in education and skills.”

“By bringing together UK schools and skills providers with Nigerian partners and policymakers, we are laying the foundations for even more long-term partnerships that support Nigeria’s education priorities, strengthen skills aligned to industry needs, and create opportunities for sustainable, in-country delivery as well as positioning Nigeria as the regional hub for high quality education.”

DBT Head of International Education, Sarah Chidgey, said: “This mission is a perfect example of the International Education Strategy being put into action, building on multiple two-way visits and the UK and Nigeria’s warm relationship. It has been heartening to see all the progress in UK Nigeria education collaboration since my first visit to Nigeria, as part of a wider delegation, in 2022.”

DBT’s mission concluded with a strong pipeline of follow-up activity, including targeted one-to-one meetings, MoU discussions, and agreed next steps between UK and Nigerian counterparts.

The Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Nigeria, has officially opened the application portal for the DigiLeap Tech Drive, a core initiative in the Foundation’s digital inclusion agenda. The application portal will be open until 8th May 2026.

Targeting 200 underserved young women in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, the programme is designed to bridge the gender divide in the digital economy by providing intensive, industry-standard technical and digital literacy training at no cost to the beneficiaries.

The DigiLeap Tech Drive is a strategic collaboration between the Airtel Africa Foundation, the ISHK Tolaram Foundation, and Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), with implementation carried out by the SAIL Innovation Lab, a leading centre for digital talent development in Nigeria.

Strategically engineered to transform high-potential individuals into workforce-ready professionals, this high-impact project will provide technical instruction, mentorship, and job-placement linkages, directly tackling regional unemployment and the systemic underrepresentation of women in the global technology sector.

Commenting on the project, Dr Segun Ogunsanya, Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, emphasised that the partnership between the Foundation, Ishk Tolaram, and CcHub is central to the Foundation’s holistic mission of advancing both digital and gender inclusion across the continent.

“Our mission at the Airtel Africa Foundation is to accelerate digital inclusion across the continent,” he said. “By bringing the DigiLeap Tech Drive to the women of Ikorodu alongside Ishk Tolaram and CcHub, we are providing 200 young women with a definitive competitive advantage in the modern economy. This initiative ensures the digital revolution is truly inclusive; it isn’t merely a training session, but a professional pipeline designed to transition these women directly into internships and sustainable careers.”

In his remarks on the flag-off, Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, highlighted Airtel’s dedication to ensuring that women are integrated into the country’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

“At Airtel Nigeria, we believe that empowering women with digital skills is a fundamental catalyst for national economic growth. With the DigiLeap tech training, we are creating a sustainable pathway for young women in underserved communities to move from the sidelines of the digital economy into the heart of the tech workforce. This initiative reflects our deep-rooted commitment to social impact and our belief that when women lead in technology, entire communities thrive,” he said.

Focusing on industry-standard competencies that enhance both employability and entrepreneurship readiness, application entry into the programme is now live and open to women aged 18–35 living in Ikorodu.