Nigeria is stepping up its efforts to contribute to the emergence of a more integrated telecommunications market in Africa the West, while regulators in the sub-region are trying to raise persistent obstacles such as the high cost of cross-border roaming, the heterogeneity of regulatory frameworks and the weaknesses of infrastructures digital.

In this context, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it was deepening its cooperation with its West African counterparts. This commitment was reaffirmed during a high-level visit by a delegation of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) to the headquarters of the NCC in Abuja.

Speaking during the discussions, the Executive Vice President of the NCC, Aminu Maida, represented by Kelechi Nwankwo, director of the business planning, strategy and risk management, a underlined that regional cooperation remains a central pillar of the strategy telecoms in Nigeria. According to him, this dynamic is essential for support the development of digital economies and improve the access of populations to affordable and quality communication services.

For the NCC, the economic and social development of West Africa is increasingly inseparable from connectivity digital fluidity. “The region becomes stronger and more prosperous when all countries are interconnected”, recalled Aminu Maida, insisting on the importance of a concerted approach in the face of the rise of cross-border exchanges of data and voice.

Nigeria has been pleading for several years in favor of regulatory harmonization through regional platforms such as Assembly of Telecommunication Regulators of West Africa (WATRA). For the NCC, this commitment is now even more crucial, so that emerging technologies are rapidly redefining the landscape of the sector.

Another key focus of Nigeria's regional strategy concerns the recognition of information technology and communication (ICT) as a critical national infrastructure within the ECOWAS. The country has already taken this step at the national level, ranking officially ICTs as critical information infrastructures, in order to strengthen the resilience, security and attractiveness of the sector for investors.

The NCC has finally reaffirmed its availability at support joint initiatives and contribute to the transformation of discussions regional policies in concrete results, for the benefit of consumers and telecommunications operators from across West Africa.