Nigeria’s data consumption has climbed to about 1.66 million terabytes (TB), representing an almost 47% year-on-year increase, as demand for digital connectivity continues to accelerate across the country.

The figure was disclosed by Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the maiden Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum organised by the telecoms regulator.

Nigerians consumed approximately 1.66 million TB of data in July 2026, compared with about 1.13 million TB in July 2025, according to the NCC chief.

The surge, he said, underscored the rapidly growing demand for telecommunications services and the need for sustained investment in infrastructure to expand network capacity and improve service quality.

Nigerians consumed approximately 1.66 million TB of data in July 2026, compared with about 1.13 million TB in July 2025, according to the NCC chief. The surge, he said, underscored the rapidly growing demand for telecommunications services and the need for sustained investment in infrastructure to expand network capacity and improve service quality.

“Keeping pace will require sustained investment, both to expand networks and to improve the experience of people already connected,” Maida said.

The NCC chief noted that connectivity had become increasingly central to Nigeria’s economic and social activities, with traders relying on digital payments, students accessing online learning platforms and businesses using telecommunications networks to serve customers.

The increasing adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) would further deepen the country’s dependence on reliable connectivity.

NCC seeks more telecoms investment
Maida recalled that the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 recognises the importance of encouraging investment in the telecommunications sector and gives the NCC responsibility for facilitating such investment.

The NCC had been working to improve the investment environment through regulatory measures and engagement with sub-national governments to address challenges associated with telecommunications infrastructure deployment, he added.

Maida also identified the 2025 tariff adjustment as one of the measures introduced to address financial pressures facing telecommunications operators and support their capacity to invest. The adjustment, he added, came with a clear expectation that operators would deliver improved services to consumers.

The NCC chief executive further highlighted the Federal Government’s 2024 designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national information infrastructure, saying the move strengthened the basis for protecting telecom assets.

For investors, Maida said confidence in the application of regulations and the process through which regulatory decisions are made remained important considerations.

“For investors, that means a clearer understanding of where the opportunities lie and greater confidence in the basis for our decisions,” he said.

He said the Commission was consequently making evidence-based decision-making central to its regulatory approach. The NCC was using data on network performance and market conditions to identify service gaps and areas requiring further investment, he added.

The Commission’s collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla, he explained, was helping the regulator obtain independent insights into the connectivity experience of Nigerians.

The NCC also publishes network performance reports to make relevant evidence available to the wider market, he said.

Nigeria’s digital infrastructure expands
The forum brought together government officials, regulators, investors and other stakeholders to examine opportunities for investment in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and challenges affecting connectivity expansion.

In her keynote address, Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said Nigeria had an enabling policy environment, regulatory coordination and support for commercial viability.

She urged the global business community to see Nigeria not only as a large consumer market but also as a platform from which businesses could serve the wider African market.

Oduwole cited data from the GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2026 report, which estimated that mobile technologies and services contributed about $240 billion to Africa’s economy in 2025, equivalent to 7.8 per cent of the continent’s GDP and supporting approximately 13 million jobs.

In Nigeria, the telecommunications sector accounted for more than 9 per cent of GDP in the first quarter of 2026.

The minister also highlighted Nigeria’s growing data-centre ecosystem, noting that the country has more than 25 data centres either operational or under construction.

She cited a $120 million hyperscale facility being developed by Airtel’s Nxtra at Eko Atlantic as an example of growing investment in digital infrastructure. The facility is designed to support high-performance computing and artificial intelligence workloads.

Oduwole said infrastructure investment must ultimately translate into economic opportunities by enabling businesses to access markets, make payments, comply with regulations, move data securely and provide services across borders.

She linked the need for stronger digital infrastructure to the African Continental Free Trade Area, arguing that Africa’s physical market integration would remain incomplete if digital markets continued to operate across fragmented digital borders.

The forum therefore placed Nigeria’s record 1.66 million TB monthly data consumption alongside the need to attract investment into telecommunications networks, data centres and other digital infrastructure needed to support the country’s expanding digital economy.