Nigeria’s data consumption has risen by about 47 per cent in one year, increasing pressure on telecommunications infrastructure and prompting the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to call for greater investment in network capacity, resilience and service quality.
The NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Maida, disclosed this in Abuja, saying data consumption increased from approximately 1.13 million terabytes in July 2025 to 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026.
Maida said the sharp increase reflected the growing reliance of Nigerians and businesses on digital services and underscored the need for sustained investment in telecommunications infrastructure.
He said the investment challenge was no longer limited to extending network coverage to unserved communities but also involved improving the quality and reliability of services for existing users.
“The investment challenge before us is not merely one of expanding coverage. It is also about ensuring that those already connected enjoy better service quality, improved user experiences, and infrastructure capable of supporting future technologies,” he said.
According to Maida, Nigeria requires increased participation from local and international investors, development finance institutions and infrastructure providers to meet rising demand and support the continued expansion of the digital economy.
He said the NCC was working to create a more conducive investment environment through regulatory measures, including engagements with state governments over Right of Way challenges and initiatives to strengthen the protection of telecommunications infrastructure.
Maida added that the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure was intended to improve the protection and resilience of networks that have become increasingly important to economic and social activities.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said digital infrastructure had become a critical component of Nigeria’s investment environment and international competitiveness.
Oduwole noted that the increasing digitisation of commerce had made reliable connectivity, data infrastructure and secure digital systems essential for businesses seeking to participate effectively in the modern economy.
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, also identified connectivity coverage, service quality, affordability and supporting infrastructure as areas requiring further attention to achieve a more inclusive digital economy.
Westerholm said energy supply, cybersecurity and digital skills would also play important roles in determining the sustainability of investments in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the Director of the National Frequency Management Council, Adetunji Adeyemo, said reliable, affordable and resilient digital infrastructure was fundamental to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said continued investment would be necessary to support the growing number of Nigerians and businesses relying on digital platforms and services.
Ookla’s Vice President of Sales for the Middle East and Africa, Tristan Muhader, said the importance of connectivity now extended beyond telecommunications, as digital networks increasingly underpin economic and public activities.
He said network performance and resilience would therefore remain important considerations as more services and transactions moved online.
Maida further disclosed that the NCC was using its Consumer Data Lab to combine network performance information, consumer complaints and reports of interventions by operators to identify connectivity challenges and assess the effectiveness of measures taken to address them.
He said the data-driven approach would help the Commission identify specific areas requiring investment and monitor whether network improvements were translating into better experiences for consumers.
The increase in data consumption comes amid the continued expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy, driven by growing demand for broadband connectivity, cloud services, digital payments, online commerce and other data-intensive applications.
With data consumption rising from 1.13 million terabytes to 1.66 million terabytes within a year, the development highlights the growing need for telecommunications infrastructure and network capacity to keep pace with Nigeria’s rapidly increasing demand for digital services.
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