By GGabriel Ameh
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for stronger collaboration among African telecommunications regulators to improve the use of data, evidence and market intelligence in shaping effective and responsive regulation across the continent.
The NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aminu Maida, made the call during the Heads of Regulators Roundtable at the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) in Abuja.
The NCC said the roundtable provided an opportunity for regulators to examine how better use of data and market intelligence could improve regulatory decisions and strengthen cooperation among African countries.
In a statement issued by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Maida noted that communications regulation had become increasingly important to economic growth, digital transformation and national development across Africa.
He said regulators may operate under different legal and market frameworks, but many face similar challenges, including infrastructure development, cybersecurity, affordability, satellite communications, network resilience and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
Maida stressed that regulators could benefit significantly from sharing experiences and lessons on how they have addressed similar challenges.
“Very often, the challenge one regulator is trying to solve has already been encountered, in one form or another, by a colleague elsewhere on the continent,” he said.
According to him, regulatory knowledge-sharing should become more deliberate and systematic to enable regulators across Africa to learn from one another and develop more effective responses to emerging challenges.
He described the theme of the roundtable, “Building Africa’s Network Intelligence Ecosystem for Evidence-Based Regulation,” as timely, particularly as the continent’s communications sector continues to evolve rapidly.
Maida said improved access to reliable data, evidence and market intelligence could help regulators make better-informed decisions and respond more effectively to changes within the telecommunications industry.
Regulators Must Adapt to Emerging Technologies
Chairing the roundtable, the NCC Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the rapid expansion of broadband, satellite services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital public infrastructure was making Africa’s communications ecosystem increasingly complex.
She said the changing digital environment required regulators to move beyond traditional approaches and adopt more data-driven regulatory strategies.
Makama noted that regulators across Africa now have access to growing volumes of technical, market and consumer data.
However, she stressed that the major challenge was turning the available information into actionable intelligence that could support better regulatory outcomes and improve services for consumers.
The Heads of Regulators Roundtable is part of broader efforts by African communications regulators to promote evidence-based regulation, deepen regional cooperation and develop more resilient, innovative and consumer-focused communications ecosystems.
The discussions also underscore the growing importance of collaboration among African regulators as the continent responds to emerging technologies, evolving digital markets and increasingly complex telecommunications challenges.
