The International Telecommunications Union has urged the Nigerian government to streamline the roles of two key regulatory bodies—the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Information Technology Development Agency—to address overlapping regulations in the digital sector.
This recommendation comes from the ITU’s recently released report, Collaborative Regulation: Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation, presented in Abuja. The report highlights several areas where the functions of NCC and NITDA intersect, including the development of sector-specific ICT policies, data protection, and content regulation.
As the digital landscape evolves with increasing convergence between telecommunications, IT, and ICT, the ITU stresses the need for a clear delineation of responsibilities between NCC and NITDA.
The ITU report also addresses the NITDA Amendment Bill currently before the National Assembly. It notes that while the bill aims to clarify NITDA’s mandate, it risks creating conflicts with other sector regulators, including the NCC, due to its broad scope related to the digital economy. Without a clear separation of roles, there is a risk of regulatory overlap, conflicting licenses, and multiple fees for ICT companies.
The NITDA Amendment Bill has sparked controversy within the Nigerian ICT industry. Key stakeholders, including the Computer Professionals Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Computer Society, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, have criticized the bill. They argue that it seeks to position NITDA as a ‘super regulator’ with excessive authority over the ICT sector.
Mr. Ayoola Oke, CEO of ICT Derivatives Ltd., contends that the NITDA Act of 2007 was originally intended to promote ICT adoption and support infrastructure development, not to grant regulatory powers. He argues that the new bill represents a significant shift from this original mandate, focusing more on regulation rather than fostering business growth and job creation.
The ITU’s call for regulatory streamlining underscores the need for a cohesive approach to managing Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
