Business
Mobile Broadband Better For Private Sector Participation -NCC
The Nigerian communications commission (NCC) says that Mobile Broadband is economically cost effective and encourageS private sector participation better than fixed broadband.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, NCC Mr Sunday Dare said this during an interactive session with the Nigerian information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Abuja.
Dare said the National Broadband Plan had both mobile and fixed components, saying that NCC was exerting action in both directions.
He, however, said that the NCC was more inclined to mobile broadband because of its benefits and cost effectiveness.
According to him, fixed broadband requires you to lay cables. To do that, you need right of way (RoW) Permits, which are controlled by state governments.
“For many years, the industry has been battling with the issue of inordinately high charges for RoW, long delays in granting permits, destruction of fibre cables during road construction, and incessant stop work orders among other disadvantages.
“A former minister once said that over 50 per cent of the costs of fibre deployments go to payment of taxes and charges and the situation only gets worse.
“With this kind of environment, the private sector is not incentivised to invest,” Dare said.
The commissioner said the NCC had constantly engaged state governors through the National Economic Council and the Governors Forum in order to overcome these challenges.
He said the NCC had also stepped in directly by licencing Infrastructure Companies (infrasCos) to provide fibre bandwidth on an open access based.
Dare disclosed that the commission was providing the infrasCos an output subsidy to mitigate costs, which he said would bear fruit soon.
He, however, said that the support of the state governors was critical and hoped that they would see the merit and long term benefits of making their states receptive to telecoms infrastructure.
Speaking of the readiness of the country to adopt the 5G technology, Dare said the NCC had been preparing the country for it by bringing together critical stakeholders to examine the legal, regulatory and technology issues.
“We have opened up consultations on spectrum for drones, etc. We are proactively leading discussions on the development of new technologies.
“This does not mean that we are going to discard the 2G, 3G or 4G, each one of the these levels of technologies has its benefits and the fact remains that you have to move from one level to the other.
Edun made the call while speaking at the 2025 Fellowship Investiture of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos, where he reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to sustaining ongoing reforms and expanding access to finance as key drivers of economic growth beyond four per cent.
“We all know that monetary policy under Cardoso has stabilised the financial system in a most commendable way. Of course, it is a team effort, and those eye-watering interest rates have to be paid by the fiscal side. But the fight against inflation is one we all have to participate in,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for banks to broaden credit access and finance innovation-driven enterprises that can create jobs for young Nigerians.
“The finance and banking industry has more work to do because we must finance their ideas, deepen the capital and credit markets down to SMEs. They should not have to go to Silicon Valley,” he said.
The minister who described the private sector as the engine of growth, said the government’s reform agenda aims to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, access funding, and contribute meaningfully to job creation.
The facility, known as the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration (P512892), is a Development Policy Financing (DPF) operation scheduled for World Bank Board consideration on December 16, 2025.
According to the Bank’s concept note , the financing would comprise $500m in International Development Association (IDA) credit and $500m in International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan.
If approved, it would be the second-largest single loan Nigeria has received from the World Bank under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, following the $1.5 billion facility granted in June 2024 under the Reforms for Economic Stabilisation to Enable Transformation (RESET) initiative.
The World Bank said the new programme aims to support Nigeria’s shift from short-term macroeconomic stabilisation to sustainable, private sector–led growth.
“The proposed Development Policy Financing (DPF) supports Nigeria’s pivot from stabilization to inclusive growth and job creation. Structured as a two-tranche standalone operation of US$1.0 billion (US$500 million IDA credit and US$500 million IBRD loan), it seeks to catalyse private sector–led investment by expanding access to credit, deepening capital markets and digital services, easing inflationary pressures, and promoting export diversification,” the document read.
The document further stated that Nigeria’s private sector credit-to-GDP ratio stood at only 21.3 per cent in 2024, significantly below that of emerging-market peers, while capital markets remain shallow, with sovereign securities dominating the bond market.
To address these weaknesses, the DPF will support the implementation of the Investment and Securities Act 2025, operationalisation of credit-enhancement facilities, and introduction of a comprehensive Central Bank of Nigeria rulebook to strengthen risk-based regulation and consumer protection.
The operation also includes measures to deepen digital inclusion through the passage of the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025, which will establish a legal framework for electronic transactions, authentication services, and digital records.
Beyond the financial and digital sectors, the programme targets reforms to lower production and living costs by tackling Nigeria’s restrictive trade regime. High tariffs and import bans have long driven up consumer prices and constrained competitiveness, particularly for manufacturers and farmers.
Under the proposed reforms, Nigeria would adopt AfCFTA tariff concessions, rationalise import restrictions, and simplify agricultural seed certification to increase the supply of high-quality varieties for maize, rice, and soybeans. The World Bank projects that these measures will help reduce food inflation, attract private investment, and enhance export potential.
The operation is part of a broader World Bank FY26 package that includes three complementary projects—Fostering Inclusive Finance for MSMEs (FINCLUDE), Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE), and Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW)—all focused on expanding access to finance, strengthening institutions, and mobilising private capital.