Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, managing director, Digital Realty Nigeria has been officially inaugurated as the first Patron of the Igbo Canadian Community Association (ICCA – Umunna) in Toronto.

The investiture ceremony took place during the highly stylized ICCA Igbo Cultural and Heritage Day 2026, held at the premium Panemonte Banquet & Convention Centre in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario.

The landmark gathering brought together top-tier members of the Nigerian diaspora, Canadian civic leaders, and the multicultural public to commemorate the socio-economic and cultural contributions of the Igbo community to Canada’s diverse national fabric.

Beyond his appointment to the sacred position of Patron, the socio-cultural group bestowed upon the tech executive the prestigious Quintessential Leadership Award.

The high-level recognition honors Nnamani’s extensive, multi-decade structural accomplishments across the fields of industry, business, and telecommunications technology throughout Africa, noting his balance of professional execution with a grounded Christian character serving as a shining roadmap for the global Igbo nation.

In his formal acceptance address made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Engr. Nnamani mapped out a clear roadmap for his tenure, underscoring that the title is fundamentally an exercise in structural advocacy and sacred trust.

“When our ancestors spoke of the ‘Igbo spirit’, they were speaking of resilience, community, entrepreneurship, and unwavering strength,” Nnamani declared. “Whether you are a first-generation immigrant, a Canadian-born youth, or a student, those values remain your guiding light. You have successfully transplanted the rich, vibrant heritage of Igboland into the diverse and welcoming soil of Canada”.

The newly minted Patron committed to steering the association alongside its current executive council across three vital socio-economic vectors:

Preserving the Mother Tongue: Standardizing community structures to ensure that Asụsụ Igbo (the Igbo language) and fundamental communal traditions like respect for elders, hospitality, and communal love are vibrantly handed down to second and third-generation Canadian-born youths.

Socio-Economic Mentorship Ecosystems: Building robust professional networks, economic growth, and mentorship pipelines to give every Igbo Canadian the resources to thrive and succeed.

Bridges to Canadian Civic Power: Deepening engagement within the broader Canadian multicultural landscape, contributing meaningfully to the host country’s civic, economic, and social fabric.

The invitation, which was formally transmitted by the association’s executive cabinet led by President Ada Izumba and Secretary Obinna Okoye, underscored a growing trend of diaspora groups calling upon established continental business leaders to anchor their socio-cultural institutions.

Nnamani extended deep gratitude to the behind-the-scenes executives and members who work tirelessly, reinforcing the structural maxim that has driven the global migration success of the ethnic group: “Igwe bu ike”; there is strength in unity.

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector contributed 8.12 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaffirming its position as one of the key drivers of economic growth, according to industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

NCC

The data showed that the sector’s contribution rose from 7.29 per cent in the corresponding period of 2024 under the rebased GDP framework, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.83 percentage points.

The telecommunications and information services sub-sector also recorded a real growth rate of 26.34 per cent in Q4 2025, compared with 17.97 per cent in Q4 2024, reflecting a significant acceleration in sector performance.

On a full-year basis, the sector accounted for 8.3 per cent of Nigeria’s real GDP in 2025, up from 8.1 per cent in 2024.

In nominal terms, the sector’s contribution to the economy increased from N17.2 trillion in 2024 to N18.5 trillion in 2025, representing a growth of N1.3 trillion.

The figures place telecommunications as the fourth-largest contributor to Nigeria’s real GDP, behind crop production, trade and real estate.

Industry analysts attributed the strong performance to increased investment in telecommunications infrastructure, expansion of broadband services, rising data consumption and wider deployment of fifth-generation (5G) technology.

According to the data, telecommunications operators added about 2,800 new towers during the year and invested more than one billion dollars in fibre-optic infrastructure and network upgrades.

The report also indicated that active telecom subscriptions rose from approximately 164.9 million in December 2024 to 179.6 million in December 2025, representing an increase of about 14.7 million subscribers.

Broadband penetration crossed the 50 per cent mark during the period, reaching 51.97 per cent compared with about 45 per cent recorded at the end of 2024.

Data consumption also increased significantly, with about 148 million internet users consuming approximately 1.4 million terabytes of data in December 2025 alone.

The NCC said the growth was further supported by ongoing investments in 4G and 5G networks, improved spectrum management and regulatory initiatives aimed at expanding digital connectivity across the country.

Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, recently stated that the commission was working towards increasing the telecommunications sector’s contribution to GDP to 25 per cent over time through supportive policies and infrastructure development.

“The sector has done well with its contribution to GDP, but it can do better. We are working on the right policies to push the contribution of the telecom sector to 25 per cent,” Maida said.

The report noted that telecommunications has become a critical enabler of financial services, e-commerce, digital government services and other sectors of the economy.

It added that sustained growth in broadband infrastructure and digital services was helping to create employment opportunities, improve productivity and expand access to digital platforms across urban and rural communities.

Despite the positive performance, industry stakeholders identified challenges such as high energy costs, foreign exchange pressures and infrastructure deployment constraints as factors that could affect future growth if not adequately addressed.

The NCC said it would continue to work with stakeholders to deepen broadband penetration, encourage investment and strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.

Analysts believe that with continued infrastructure expansion, improved regulatory support and increasing adoption of digital technologies, the telecommunications sector is likely to remain one of the strongest contributors to Nigeria’s economic growth in the coming years.

African Development Bank (AfDB) has revealed that 70.7 per cent of firms in Nigeria own or share generators due to persistent electricity shortages, with power outages costing businesses about three per cent of their annual sales.

The bank disclosed this in its 2026 African Economic Outlook report, which, among other items, assessed Africa’s fiscal policy and tax systems.

It warned that weak public service delivery continued to impose hidden financial burdens on households and businesses across the continent.

“Electricity outage losses amount to three per cent of annual sales in Nigeria, and because of this, generator reliance is widespread, with 70.7 per cent of firms in Nigeria owning or sharing generators,” the report stated.

The AfDB said the widespread use of generators reflected deep infrastructure and governance challenges that were weakening productivity, eroding profitability, and undermining confidence in taxation systems.

According to the report, households and firms across Africa increasingly pay privately for services that governments are expected to provide, including electricity, water, security, and logistics.

The bank described these expenses as “parallel levies” that reduce disposable income and raise operating costs for businesses.

“Higher domestic resource mobilisation without corresponding improvements in public service delivery imposes large implicit tax burdens on households and firms, which undermines the legitimacy and effectiveness of taxation and leads to a breakdown in the social contract,” the AfDB stated.

The report noted that many businesses in Nigeria had resorted to self-generated power because of unreliable electricity supply, adding that this trend continued to widen informality and reduce voluntary tax compliance.

The AfDB added that stronger delivery of electricity, healthcare, education, water supply, sanitation, and public administrative services could improve trust in government and strengthen tax collection efforts.

“By reducing the need for households and firms to self-provide these services, strengthening performance in these priority areas can enhance taxpayer trust, improve voluntary compliance, broaden the formal tax base, and reinforce the fiscal social contract,” the report stated.

The bank said Africa’s revenue mobilisation challenges remained significant despite increasing fiscal pressures caused by rising debt servicing costs, shrinking external financing, and growing development spending needs.

According to the report, nearly $469bn in potential revenue remains untapped across Africa due to weak tax compliance, poor administration, and ineffective policy design.

The AfDB also stated that more than 40 per cent of public investment spending across the continent was currently lost to inefficiencies.

“More than 40 per cent of public investment is currently lost to inefficiencies, and closing this gap could generate up to $299bn each year for growth-enhancing investments,” the report stated.

The bank further noted that Africa could unlock up to $1.43tn in additional annual financing by addressing inefficiencies in resource mobilisation and utilisation.

It added that Africa needed to sustain economic growth at seven per cent or higher over several decades to create jobs on a large scale and accelerate poverty reduction.

“Africa must raise annual growth to 7 per cent or higher, sustained over decades, to enable large-scale job creation and accelerated poverty reduction,” Dr Sidi Tah, president of the African Development Bank Group, said in the report’s foreword.

The report also highlighted the continent’s dependence on indirect taxes such as Value Added Tax, excise duties, and customs taxes, which accounted for 59.9 per cent of total tax revenue in 2023.

The AfDB noted that Nigeria, alongside other resource-rich economies, relied heavily on corporate income tax linked to extractive industries, reflecting the uneven nature of direct taxation across Africa.