The Federal Government is targeting the activation of at least 200 telecommunications towers in unconnected communities across Nigeria before December 2026 as part of efforts to expand digital connectivity nationwide.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Monday at the commissioning of the new headquarters of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in Abuja.
Tijani said the telecommunications towers were being deployed under the government’s National Unconnected Communities Access Programme (NUCAP), which has an overall target of deploying about 3,700 towers across the country.
The minister explained that the programme is separate from the Federal Government’s planned 90,000-kilometre nationwide fibre optic network, describing the tower deployment as a distinct intervention focused specifically on communities that currently lack telecommunications connectivity.
According to Tijani, the first tower under the programme had already been deployed at Kura village near Abuja, while deployment had subsequently extended to communities in the Niger Delta.
He said the government was working towards having at least 200 of the sites fully active before December.
“Before December, at least 200 of those sites will be active. Each of those towers will serve communities of about 5,000 to 10,000 people,” Tijani said.
The minister explained that the intervention was targeted at Nigerians who currently have little or no access to telecommunications services.
He estimated that the wider programme could ultimately connect more than 20 million Nigerians, providing communities with greater access to mobile communications and digital services.
The expansion of telecommunications infrastructure is expected to support economic activities, education, digital services and other opportunities that depend on reliable connectivity.
Tijani also disclosed that the Federal Government was exploring satellite connectivity through the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) to reach locations that cannot easily be served by fibre optic infrastructure or conventional terrestrial telecommunications towers.
The satellite component is expected to complement the physical infrastructure being deployed under the government’s connectivity initiatives and help extend services to difficult-to-reach locations.
The minister also highlighted the growing contribution of Nigeria’s information and communications technology sector to the national economy.
According to him, the ICT sector now contributes about 21 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared with between 16 and 18 per cent when the current administration assumed office.
Tijani said the growth had helped create jobs, expand opportunities and contribute to shared prosperity.
He added that the government was targeting an ICT contribution of 25 per cent of GDP if President Bola Tinubu’s administration secures a second term.
The minister made the remarks while also discussing the significance of the newly commissioned NDPC headquarters in Abuja.
Tijani said the property had previously been recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and subsequently allocated by President Tinubu to the data protection commission.
He described the transformation of the property as symbolic, noting that an asset once associated with corruption had been converted into an institution responsible for protecting Nigerians and strengthening trust in the country’s digital economy.
The minister said the increasing digitisation of government services, businesses and the wider economy had made privacy, data governance and responsible use of technology increasingly important.
He also pointed to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, saying the development further underscored the need for effective data protection and responsible technology practices.
Tijani urged the NDPC to ensure effective implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act and strengthen the protection of citizens’ personal information as the country’s digital economy continues to expand.
Speaking at the event, Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner of the NDPC, outlined the growth of the commission since its establishment as a dedicated data protection authority.
Olatunji said the commission had evolved from a small unit within the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) into a full-fledged regulatory institution.
He recalled that the commission’s predecessor operated from three office spaces under NITDA’s E-Government Development and Regulation Department before the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) was issued in January 2019.
The Nigeria Data Protection Act was subsequently signed into law by President Tinubu on June 12, 2023, providing the commission with a stronger legal and institutional framework for regulating data protection in Nigeria.
Olatunji said the commission had since expanded significantly, moving from three rooms at NITDA to five rooms in Maitama and later 20 rooms in Asokoro before moving into its new headquarters, which has 56 offices.
He disclosed that 98 per cent of the commission’s staff are now certified data protection officers.
The commissioner also said the NDPC had licensed 356 Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCOs) under its public-private partnership model.
According to him, the activities of the commission and DPCOs have contributed to the creation of more than 27,000 jobs within three years.
Olatunji further disclosed that more than 66,000 participants had been onboarded through the commission’s Virtual Privacy Academy, while at least 220 training programmes had reached more than 90,000 people across various sectors.
The commissioner said DPCOs had generated more than N12 billion in revenue within three years, while the wider data protection ecosystem was valued at more than N18 billion.
He also highlighted the commission’s efforts to increase awareness of data protection among young Nigerians.
According to him, the NDPC has established 17 data privacy clubs in universities, with 6,176 student ambassadors, while more than 250,000 people have been reached through various awareness and engagement programmes.
The commission has also expanded its international partnerships, with Olatunji revealing that it had signed 28 memoranda of understanding with regulators, development partners and data protection authorities in countries including Canada, Morocco, Liberia, Kenya and Ghana.
He said the NDPC had become the leader of the Anglophone body of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities and had received recognition as an outstanding data protection authority on the continent.
Olatunji added that the commission had been nominated for three awards at the forthcoming Global Privacy Assembly in Brussels in November.
He described the new headquarters as the largest data protection office in Africa and disclosed that work was ongoing on the commission’s Lagos office, which is expected to be commissioned before the end of 2026.
The planned activation of 200 telecommunications sites before December therefore forms part of a broader Federal Government effort to expand digital infrastructure while strengthening the institutions responsible for governing Nigeria’s increasingly digital economy.
With the wider NUCAP programme targeting about 3,700 towers and additional connectivity expected through NIGCOMSAT and fibre infrastructure, the government is seeking to close connectivity gaps affecting millions of Nigerians.
At the same time, the expansion of digital access is placing greater importance on data protection, cybersecurity and responsible use of technology, areas that the NDPC is expected to oversee as Nigeria’s digital economy continues to grow.