The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders are working towards addressing challenges confronting rural network connectivity in Nigeria.
The collaboration resulted in a two-day workshop hosted in Abuja from June 3-4, 2025, to explore policy framework to bridge the digital divide in community networks and accelerate socio-economic development in the underserved and unserved communities.
As stated in a press release 2025/Vol. 3/No.4 by NCC Ag. Head, Public Affairs, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, dated 11 June, 2025, the workshop brought together regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign investors, among others.
They gathered to examine policy and regulatory barriers, explore innovative funding mechanisms, ensure sustainable renewable solutions and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders.
Addressing participants at the workshop, NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the workshop was important to bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and foster inclusive social economic development.
“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here which includes the regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign providers to address the critical challenges such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability and institutional monitoring,” Maida said.
The NCC EVC/CEO was represented at the event by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Abraham Oshadami.
He said the workshop demonstrated the Commission’s commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas.
“At NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community centre networks in achieving this important goal,” Maida added.
The EVC said NCC was committed to “this journey and views this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change,” stating that the expertise, perspectives and commitments will shape the future where every Nigerian, regardless of his or her status, will have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.”
In her remarks, Co-Manager, Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Network (LocNet) Initiative, Kathleen Diga, noted that the collaboration was to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion.
“This is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities, opportunities that will remain in realising values of a diversified ecosystem.
“I believe this workshop presents a moment in time that we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, corporative among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled,” she said.
Diga also emphasised the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists, noting that they were grow throughout the Global South, which, she said, are a “strategic response to digital exclusion.”
The workshop featured presentations from the NCC, the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders such as the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), all geared towards exploring a joint policy framework to address rural digital divide.
The Association for Progressive Communications is a 35-year-old international network member-based organisation encouraging digital inclusion in the unserved communities, particularly with communities in the Global South.
The workshop, through its LocNet Initiative, aimed at crafting an enabling inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria.
