Business Remarks, has successfully hosted the 7th edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 7.0), with a clarion call on the Federal Government, industry regulators, and private sector players to rethink Nigeria’s digital infrastructure strategy in order to attract investment and drive innovation.
The forum, held in Lagos, brought together industry experts, policymakers, operators, and innovators under the theme: “Rethinking Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy to Attract Investment and Drive Innovation.”
In his message at the event, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, said the Nigerian telecom industry has performed very well in its over 25 years of existence.
Adebayo urged stakeholders to acknowledge and tell the industry’s success story, warning that if operators fail to do so, critics will not speak for them.
He said the industry must highlight its contributions to society, education and national development.
Adebayo disclosed that operators recently provided better access to educational websites, with many more providers joining the initiative.
He noted that the world changed after COVID-19, followed by the Russia-Ukraine war and other global challenges, creating a new reality for the industry, and called for continued collaboration among stakeholders as the sector navigates emerging realities.
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) called for renewed focus on talent development, rural inclusion, and infrastructure investment to drive the country’s digital economy.
ALTON’s Executive Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Ajibola Olude stated this at an industry dialogue, saying the future of Nigeria’s digital economy depends not only on infrastructure but on opportunities created for people, businesses, and communities.
Olude stressed the need for a pipeline of skilled, industry-ready digital professionals, noting that most rural areas remain unconnected due to operators’ safety concerns. He added that the sector’s contribution to economic growth cannot be overlooked, calling for platforms to productively engage youths.
He also decried Nigeria’s high cost of capital, with interest rates exceeding 30 per cent, urging the banking sector to treat telecommunications as infrastructure of other infrastructure.
In her opening remarks, the convener of the forum and Managing Editor of Business Remarks, Mrs. Bukola Olanrewaju, noted that the forum was convened to move beyond rhetoric and proffer actionable solutions to Nigeria’s persistent digital infrastructure deficit.
According to her, telecommunications had evolved beyond being an enabler of communication to becoming a fundamental pillar of Nigeria’s digital economy. However, rising infrastructure costs, foreign exchange pressures, high financing costs, energy expenses, inflation and the increasing cost of network deployment are placing significant pressure on operators and infrastructure providers.
The session featured a distinguished panel of experts who identified key challenges and proposed far-reaching solutions.
Among the challenges identified by the panelists at TSSF 7.0 was the massive infrastructure funding gap, with the panel noting that Nigeria requires approximately $100 billion over the next 30 years to close its digital infrastructure deficit, and that the country remains far from matching the digital infrastructure density of the Global North.
The panel also highlighted that upfront taxation, spectrum fees, licensing costs, and right-of-way charges consume as much as 50% of capital expenditure, leaving investors with less funds to deploy into network assets, and noted that a $10 million investor seeking $5 million in funding is often taxed before any investment is made. It was observed that despite years of advocacy for infrastructure sharing, the absence of a commercially viable policy framework, poor data on existing infrastructure, and siloed operations among industry players continue to hinder shared infrastructure adoption.
The panel noted that smaller operators and startups face prohibitive costs of capital from Nigerian banks, making it difficult to compete with established players who have easier access to funding. A significant demand-side challenge was also identified, with the panel noting that Nigeria must transition from being a consumer society to a productive society, and estimating that Nigeria is 10 to 15 years away from attaining digital infrastructure parity with the Global North.
The Panelists further noted that connectivity remains concentrated in urban centres like Lagos, leaving rural areas underserved despite the United Nations designating connectivity as a fundamental right. It was also noted that past foreign exchange instability had deterred investors, though recent stability has begun to restore confidence in the telecoms sector.
On cybersecurity, the panel observed that security is often treated as a secondary layer rather than a foundational element of infrastructure planning, noting that reputational damage, sanctions, and business continuity risks far outweigh the cost of proactive security investment.
The panel also observed that local players competing for infrastructure contracts dominated by foreign firms are often subjected to the same requirements as much larger foreign competitors, creating an uneven playing field, while noting that despite clear demand for connectivity, bottlenecks in policy, funding, and infrastructure have prevented the translation of that demand into actual investment.
