Nigeria’s monthly data usage increased by 47 per cent year-on-year to 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The figure, up from 1.13 million terabytes recorded in July 2025, reflects the continued growth in internet usage as individuals, businesses and institutions increasingly depend on digital services.
Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the first Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum.
Maida said the sharp increase in data consumption underscored the need for sustained investment in telecommunications infrastructure to expand network capacity and improve service quality.
He said demand for reliable connectivity was increasing as more Nigerians, businesses and institutions rely on digital payments, education, commerce and other online activities.
The growing adoption of cloud services and artificial intelligence is also expected to deepen demand for reliable connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure.
“Keeping pace will require sustained investment, both to expand networks and to improve the experience of people already connected,” Maida said.
The NCC chief said the commission had been working to improve the conditions required to attract and sustain investment in the telecommunications sector.
He cited the 2025 tariff adjustment as one of the measures aimed at addressing financial pressures facing operators and improving their capacity to invest, while noting that the adjustment came with an expectation of improved service delivery to consumers.
Maida also said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure had strengthened the basis for protecting critical telecom assets.
He added that the NCC’s engagement with state governments on Right of Way issues was helping to address the cost of deploying telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC boss stressed the importance of regulatory certainty in attracting investment, saying investors needed confidence in how rules would be applied and decisions made.
He said the commission was therefore making evidence-based decision-making central to its regulatory approach to provide investors with greater clarity on opportunities and factors affecting investment.
Maida said the NCC’s collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla was providing independent insight into the connectivity experience of Nigerians.
He added that the commission combines Ookla’s data with network and market information to identify service gaps and areas requiring further investment.
The NCC is also using its Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action, to better understand connectivity challenges.
According to Maida, the lab brings together Ookla data, consumer complaints and information on interventions by operators in a dashboard that enables the commission to examine service issues by location and demographic group.
“This helps us investigate service problems and assess whether operators’ interventions have improved consumers’ experience. It also gives us a more useful picture of where further deployment or network upgrades may be needed,” he said.
The two-day forum is focused on identifying investment opportunities across Nigeria and exploring financing and partnerships required to develop digital connectivity infrastructure.
Maida said while some projects were ready for commercial investment, others would require further project preparation, shared infrastructure or development finance.
He urged participants to identify projects and examine the challenges preventing them from moving forward.
“Nigeria’s next phase of growth will depend on how well we connect our people and businesses,” Maida said, adding that investment in connectivity should make it easier for Nigerians to earn a living, learn and access essential services.
