The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has raised concern over the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) newly unveiled licensing framework, saying it fails to address the needs of community networks.
The NCC introduced the framework during a Stakeholders Forum held on July 17 in Abuja. It was presented by the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Barrister Rimini Makama, on behalf of the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Wadia.
The framework introduces three components: Proof of Concept Pilots, Regulatory Sandbox, and Interim Service Authorization.
CITAD believes the Interim Service Authorization might be an opportunity to license community networks — local, nonprofit initiatives that connect areas where internet service is either poor or non-existent. However, the group says the framework falls short by not explicitly mentioning community networks or recognizing nonprofit operators.
“For over five years, we at CITAD have championed the need for a distinct license class for community networks to address the persistent connectivity isolation faced by millions of Nigerians in unserved and underserved areas,” said Malam Y.Z. Ya’u, Executive Director of CITAD. “We see this new framework as a potential opening, but the lack of explicit reference to community networks and the exclusion of non-profits—who are the main drivers of such initiatives—are key concerns.”
According to CITAD, over 90 clusters of communities, home to more than 27 million people, remain disconnected not because there is no need for internet, but because telecom companies see no profit in extending services to those areas.
“In such settings, it is only community-led efforts that can close the connectivity gap. The new framework must accommodate and support such initiatives if we are serious about achieving digital inclusion and transformation,” Ya’u said.
CITAD recalled earlier discussions with the NCC, including a 2024 forum it co-organized with the Association for Progressive Communication (APC) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). That event resulted in the creation of a National Advisory Committee on Community Networks and the development of a National Strategy for Community Networks in Nigeria.
In June, another policy workshop—also backed by the FCDO and hosted with APC and NCC—focused on how community networks could be included in the regulatory process. CITAD said that discussion provided a foundation for their inclusion in the new system.
“We commend the NCC Executive Vice Chairman and the entire Commission for taking this bold step. But we also urge them to go a step further—to provide clear guidance and formal recognition for community networks,” Ya’u said. “Without this, the framework risks missing its potential to empower the very communities most in need of digital access.”
CITAD concluded by stressing that digital access and literacy should not be treated as luxuries, and called for regulation that prioritizes communities currently left out of Nigeria’s digital map.