Telecom
Dearth of Manpower Bane of Telecom Development
Nigeria’s telecommunications industry is at a critical period in the quest for development. The sector has been bedeviled with quality of service issues, some of which are within the purview of the operators and others outside their control.
Some of the factors responsible for poor quality of services include congestion of the network by operators, as a result of insufficient capacity in the network.
It was against this backdrop that Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) banned two Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operators from running promotions geared towards increasing their subscriber base.
Besides, there are challenges of inadequate infrastructure such as power and transmission backbone.
It is unfortunate that of the said causes of the present quality of service issue nobody is looking at vital issue that account for greater percentage of poor service delivery. This is the issue of shortage of manpower.
Skilled Manpower is the trained human resources required to run a business concern. In telecommunications, this trained manpower is required mostly in running the network such as maintenance, capacity deployment among others.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed that GSM operators are facing shortage of skilled manpower in the engineering aspect of their business. This is responsible largely for the high drop calls experienced by subscribers.
When network operators rolled out service some seven years ago they engaged services of foreign expertise that are running their networks, as a result of huge cost associated with keeping these expertise and need to groom local manpower believed to be cheaper network operators started replacing some of their foreign expertise with local substitutes who are not well trained to handle high end network deployment and maintenance.
Telecommunication is a technology intensive industry and enhance requires high-level skilled manpower at all stages of its deployment. This includes research, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance. A lot of research is required both in the development of the hardware components such as integrated circuits, thin film resistors, printed circuit boards, etc and also, in the process engineering required in manufacturing such components. For examples AT & T’s Bell Laboratories in the U.S.A at its peak in the 80’s employed over 3000 professors and academicians with PhD and MSc’s to conduct research on various fields of telecommunications. Majority of them are professors on sabbatical leave from top American universities like MIT, California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), University of California at Berkeley and Standard University. The laboratory boasts of over 30,000 patients. Nigerian universities and the Academia have unique opportunity to contribute to the development of telecommunications in Nigeria through the generation of new knowledge and also producing the right type of manpower for the industry.
Also the universities and polytechnics must equip the students with the right knowledge base that can match the requirement of the industry. There will definitely be need to modify and upgrade course curriculum in electrical/electronic engineering departments.
Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, NCC had explained at one of the telecom consumer’s parliament on quality of service that there is presently a dearth of skilled manpower in the rapidly expanding telecom industry. The frequent poaching of staff among telecom operators, sometimes through offer of higher salaries, is a clear evidence of this shortage. The coming of 3G he said and the subsequent need to expand the network will further aggravate the skills shortage. Independent engineers, financial management and technical consultants have an opportunity to bridge this skill gaps. Specifically, the Nigerian Society of Engineers should encourage its members to upgrade and sharpen their skills in order to supply the required manpower for the industry.
Operators will also be seeking to outsource some specialized functions like tower design, tele-traffic studies, power systems design, spectrum clearance, civil structures, plant maintenance, type approval certification, enterprises software, among others. 3G service introductions will definitely expand the need for these services and it is an opportunity for us to further develop and consolidate the service industry in Nigeria.
In the profile of all of the companies, there are high number of foreign engineers playing major roles in operations and maintenance.
These can be traced to the fact that the companies are new and still expanding their services, as soon as exchanges, transmission and remote stations are commissioned, all that is left is daily operations and maintenance which we are close to achieving, one would expect that the foreign engineer would transfer such responsibilities to local hands.
The call therefore is for our operators to begin a gradual integration process of having local engineers with the necessary skills to take-over the operations and maintenance of the networks.
Presently, there are many engineering graduates doing things that are unrelated to their area of training in order to keep soul and body together, and there are many others who are without employment. Operators should consider a management training scheme, under which young graduates from our universities and polytechnics would be employed as trainees; for a period of two to four years, in order to understand the systems and network, such that in the next three to five years we can have fully Nigerian companies, not only in terms of registration, but also in the area of manpower.
Under such a scheme, the trainees may be co-opted into project teams as part of the network roll out, and at the end, they would have knowledge of how things work and a full knowledge of the network profile.
In this regard, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (Alton) recommended that telecommunications operators should work with universities and polytechnics, to introduce the scheme, and identify the above-average students who would like to make career in telecoms, such students can be allowed to pass their industrial training with the companies and upon graduation commence a traineeship program, during which period they can be integrated into the operations of the company.
In the area of on-the-job and function specific improvement, we now have institutions like Digital Bridge Institution, Abuja that can offer training in various areas of Information and Communications Technology.
The scheme would go a long way to our manpower demands for now and the future. We can not afford to have an industry that is heavily depended on foreign hands; the implications are too many, both on our educational system, and on level of technological development.
We must have Nigerians playing significant role in the daily operations of various telecom company and that is the only way that can guarantee a truly Nigeria industry in the future.
Anambra State Government has begun a crackdown on illegal Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating across the state, citing concerns over data breaches, poor service quality, and environmental defacement.
The enforcement, led by the Anambra State Physical Planning Board (ANSPPB) and the Anambra State ICT Agency, follows numerous complaints about unauthorized road excavations and the indiscriminate erection of poles, which deface infrastructure.
Investigations revealed that several ISPs were operating without approval or submitting deployment plans, a violation of regulations governing telecommunications infrastructure.
Authorities stress that the objective is not exclusion but compliance, ensuring only registered ISPs approved by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) operate in the state.
Residents are urged to report unlicensed ISP activities via the dedicated hotline 02014143039.
Speaking on the development, Barr. Chike Maduekwe, Executive Chairman of ANSPPB, said: “This isn’t about shutting anyone out but about ensuring everyone follows the right process. If you want to offer internet services in Anambra, go through the proper channels. We will support those who comply, but we will not tolerate shortcuts.”
Similarly, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA), Managing Director/CEO of the Anambra State ICT Agency, emphasized: “The internet is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Governor Soludo has implemented a zero right of way policy to encourage players, but the first step for any ISP must be regulatory approval. The people of Anambra deserve services from providers they can trust.”
The Anambra State Government remains committed to fostering a safe, fair, and well-regulated digital landscape where residents can enjoy secure, high-quality internet services without fear of exploitation.
The enforcement drive signals a new era of accountability in the state’s fast-growing digital space.
In a significant step towards enhancing online safety for teenagers, Meta is proud to announce the launch of Teen Accounts on Instagram in Nigeria. This initiative is part of Meta’s broader commitment to ensuring safe, private, and positive online experiences for teens across Africa.
As more Nigerian teens join Instagram, it is crucial to prioritise their safety and privacy. Parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences.
Teen Accounts were designed to better support parents and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place. Teen Accounts have built-in protections that limit who can contact them and the content they see, and we’ll automatically place teens in Nigeria into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of these settings to be less strict.
Key protections offered with Teen Accounts include:
Private Accounts: Teen accounts are set to private by default and teens under 16 can only change this setting with parental guidance.
Messaging Restrictions: Teens can only receive messages from people they are already connected to.
Sensitive Content Control: Teen Accounts are automatically set to see less sensitive content in search results and recommended content in Explore, Feed and Reels.
Limited Interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow, and the strictest anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, is enabled by default.
Time Limit Reminders: Notifications prompt teens to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.
Sleep Mode: Enabled from 10 PM to 7 AM, this feature mutes notifications and sends automatic replies to DMs overnight.
“We’re excited to bring these features to Nigeria and help families navigate online spaces safely. Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind, allowing teens to connect with friends and explore interests without worrying about unsafe experiences,” said Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager, Africa, Middle East & Turkey (AMET) at Meta.
Since Meta started reimagining its apps for teens with Teen Accounts globally in September 2024, Meta has enrolled 54 million teens into Teen Accounts on Instagram, with 97% of those aged 13–15 remaining within the strict default protective settings.
While Teen Accounts come with built‑in safety protections, Meta understands many parents want to take a more active role in their teens’ online experiences. With the enhanced supervision tools, parents can:
See who their teen has interacted with: While message content remains private, parents can now view a list of people their teen has messaged over the past seven days.
Set daily time limits on Instagram: Parents can decide how long their teen can spend on the app each day. Once the limit is reached, Instagram will be inaccessible for the rest of the day.
Schedule downtime from Instagram: Parents can block access to Instagram during specific hours, like bedtime, with just a tap.
View the topics their teen is exploring: Parents can see which age-appropriate interest areas their teen is choosing to follow and engage with.
“Meta’s new policy aligns with several core priorities outlined in NITDA’s strategic roadmap, particularly concerning data privacy and protection for minors, now under the purview of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, and child online protection and digital well-being, which we have collaboratively addressed with our sister agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission.
“NITDA has been a strong advocate for child online protection through various initiatives, including national strategies and proposed legislation, such as the Online Harms Protection Bill, which addresses age verification and parental controls.
“This policy reinforces the need for age-appropriate online experiences and promotes digital well-being.” commented, Barr. Emmanuel Edet – Director Regulations and Compliance Department, NITDA
To mark the launch, Meta hosted an exclusive event where parents, content creators, policy stakeholders, media and teens could engage on the available safety features and tools.
Meta remains committed to developing tools, resources and partnerships that protect teens and foster safer online experiences for families in Nigeria.
For more information about Teen Accounts and updates to parental supervision tools, visit here
Telecommunication companies have threatened to withdraw their Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), services from banks over what they called misinformation.
MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile- the telcos disclosed that the banks’ notice to their customers on the new billing system and airtime deductions for USSD services was misleading.
Also, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) also denied that the directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
USSD is done via shortcodes on mobile phones and allows bank customers to make transactions in places with limited or no internet service.
Recall that banks earlier this week claimed that NCC has directed them to begin charging them from their airtime rather than from customers’ accounts.
The notice from the banks read in part: “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account.
“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.
“Under this new billing structure, each USSD session will attract a charge of ?6.98 per 120 seconds, which will be billed by your mobile network operator.
“You will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session, and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service.
“If you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel.”
Reacting, ALTON, umbrella body of telecom operators in Nigeria, said the banks’ notice is a gross misinformation deliberately hatched to suit their selfish interests.
Hence they threatened to withdraw network support to the banks’ USSD services.
Engr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON told Vanguard: ” I don’t understand why the banks are twisting agreements and distorting information just to favour their selfish interests. In the first place, the information wasn’t a directive from the NCC but a joint regulatory agreement between the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN witnessed by the telcos and the banks. The agreement was that if the banks finally cleared all USSD debts owed to the telcos by June 2, 2025, they are free to migrate to the end-user billing method, so long as the model of migration is transparent and agreed upon by the telcos.
“The reason for that clause was because the telcos insisted that the process of migration is such that will not allow a customer to be billed twice; in other words, that a subscriber would not have his airtime deducted and also have his or her money deducted for same services from his or her bank account.
” As we speak, some of the banks have cleared their debts, but the majority are yet to do so. So, even if all the modalities of migrating to end-user billing have been perfectly carried out, the implementation cannot even begin because the banks are yet to clear the USSD debt owed to the telcos.
“Our position now is that if that is the way the banks want to treat the agreement, we may withdraw support for their USSD services. It is not a must-have. They can do without it. But, they should clear the debts as agreed,” he added.
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