Telecom
ATCON, NCS, Others Counsel FG on New ICT Policy
Stakeholders in the nation’s information and communication technology (ICT) industry are counselling the Federal Government on key areas to prioritise in the proposed new National ICT Policy.
Mr. Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications, had in penultimate week while attending the foundation laying ceremony of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) secretariat, expressed his commitments to producing a new nation ICT policy; a thrust for the industry to become next major source of revenue for the economy.
Shittu acknowledged that the Ministry has been receiving a lot of inputs from stakeholders across the country and from Nigerians in diaspora; some of which will form part of the details of the blueprint.
In line with the new drives, Engineer Lanre Ajayi, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that the Ministry should critically review the existing National ICT Policy and the National Broadband Plan, culling the most important areas for swift implementations.
Ajayi said, “I don’t think we need a new ICT policy more urgent as it were. We just had an ICT policy not too long ago. It is my opinion that the present administration toes the line of the existing policy and implement it. A change in government does not necessarily mean the past policies should be discarded, especially when the policies are relevant in today’s environment.
On critical policies and plans Shittu should focus on, he said, “We have ICT policy and broadband plan. The broadband plan implementation seemingly, was short, because of the electioneering (or political activities) few months before the past government left office. The present government can make their milestones from the aspects of the broadband plan, as some of the projections are yet to be achieved such as spectrum licencing to drive broadband and many more, I think, they should focus on the implementation”.
But, Mr. Pius Okigbo, president of the Institute of Software Practitioner of Nigeria (ISPON), believes the Communications Minister deserves the right to choose the ICT policy direction of the present administration.
According to him, stakeholders should wait till the policy thrust is launched before discussing the content; though he admitted that “ICT for job creation” is a sine qua non for the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal Government.
Okigbo told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek he believes “it will be prudent to wait till the current Minister comes up with his own policy prescription or direction. At that point, we will be in a better position to argue for or against what to include or not.
“Yes, there are certain influences that he has to be govern by. Those influences are the good part of the existing policy that have yielded tremendous benefits. The key point is the iDEA Hub. That is a very strong and positive policy prescription. There are several others that can have to do with expanding and developing the industry and create employment opportunities. So, I strongly believe we wait on the Minister to unveil his policy direction before discussing it”.
However, Professor Adesola Aderounmu, president of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) said they have already made recommendations to the Federal Government for priority be given to the use of registered local IT professionals and registered local IT companies to execute IT jobs. In particular such IT firms and professionals should be involved in Strategic IT projects; a deliberate focus on youth innovation to generate massive employment for millions of our youth through riding on the startup boom in Nigeria and the use of innovative IT tools and solutions to frontally address the major concerns of bribery and corruption facing the nation.
Aderounmu also told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek on phone that NCS is ready to make more recommendations to the Federal Government during a two-day retreat scheduled by the Ministry on the subject matter.
Among other NCS’ recommendations to Shittu include, capacity building in cyber security, most especially within the security agencies and in the nation’s educational system; implementation of the National Broadband Plan and urgently push for comprehensive broadband access all over the country; rollout, implementation, and monitoring of local content policy to encourage MDAs to patronize indigenous software and hardware; establishment of IT parks using Public-Private-Partnership models and establishment of Digital Centres in all the 774 LGAs in collaboration with the State Governments.
“And we believe the Federal Government should approve the pending National Software Policy (NSP) as a blue print aimed at providing a strategic roadmap to make Nigeria a competitive country in the area of software engineering and digital knowledge development and implementing e-Government strategies as Imperatives for corruption-free, equitable, productive and knowledge-based society,” the NCS president said.
In same light, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, chairman of Teledom Group, opined that whatever will be part of the new policy must be centered on the Nigerian Content Development and the Nigerian Content Patronage.
“In the last administration,” Ekuwem said, “there was much talks about the Nigerian content development, but there was insufficient emphasis and trust on the Nigerian Content patronage. It is not enough for Nigerians to develop a lot of contents without Ministries, Department and Agencies of the Government and the private sector not patronizing them”.
According to him, “If we fail to prioritise the local content, then the development means nothing. Patronage must be highly emphasized, otherwise, why should Nigerians develop ICT contents/products that are not patronized? Charity must begin at home. The effectiveness of that will generate jobs as the present government has indicated it is interested in creating jobs for the teeming youths”.
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.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
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