Nigerian Communications Commission review of the 26-year-old National Telecommunications Policy, proposing harmonised Right-of-Way fees, streamlined multi-level permitting, and classification of telecom assets as Critical National Information Infrastructure to curb vandalism and fibre cuts.
Policy Details
What Changes
Proposes a unified Right-of-Way fee structure (building on the existing N145/metre benchmark, unevenly adopted across states), a single-process permitting system across federal/state/local levels, and Critical National Information Infrastructure status for telecom assets with stronger penalties for vandalism.
Who Is Affected
Telecom operators (including any private partner eventually selected for D-VIBE/Project BRIDGE); state and local governments currently levying inconsistent Right-of-Way charges; fibre infrastructure developers nationwide.
Why It Matters
Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre cuts in 2025 and 5,934 in Q1 2026 alone; Right-of-Way cost and permitting inconsistency across Nigeria's 36 states and 774 LGAs is explicitly flagged by AfDB as a risk factor for the D-VIBE fibre rollout.
Expected Impact
If adopted, expected to materially lower the cost and legal friction of large-scale fibre deployment, directly benefiting projects such as D-VIBE; the NCC estimates a 10-percentage-point rise in broadband penetration adds roughly 1.38% to GDP in comparable economies.
Risks / Uncertainties
Requires buy-in from 36 state governments and 774 LGAs who currently rely on Right-of-Way fees as revenue; as of mid-2026 only a minority of states have fully waived or capped charges at the recommended benchmark, and the policy remains in public consultation with no confirmed effective date.