Industry analysts have identified governance failures and regulatory fragmentation as the primary factors slowing broadband expansion in Nigeria, despite the country’s substantial international connectivity capacity. The concerns were raised at the Africa Hyperscalers Connectivity Strategy Workshop held in Lagos, according to a report published on December 16, 2025.
Experts at the forum argued that Nigeria’s broadband challenge is not rooted in insufficient subsea cable capacity. On the contrary, the country hosts one of the largest subsea cable landings in Africa, yet fixed broadband penetration remains below six per cent, highlighting a significant disconnect between capacity and access.
According to the analysts, the core issue lies in the absence of an integrated national broadband framework that effectively links subsea landing points to the middle-mile, metro, and last-mile infrastructure required to deliver services to homes and businesses nationwide. This gap has resulted in underutilized capacity and uneven broadband distribution across the country.
Participants also criticised the fragmented regulatory environment at the state level, where telecommunications operators must navigate multiple approval processes and comply with varying, and sometimes conflicting, regulations. This inconsistency, they said, increases deployment costs, slows project execution, and creates uncertainty for mobile network operators operating across several jurisdictions.
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The governance challenges have also had significant financial consequences. Analysts noted that weak audit structures and limited long-term revenue visibility have made it difficult for Internet Service Providers to attract funding, particularly for infrastructure-heavy projects. As a result, investment in broadband expansion has remained subdued despite strong demand.
To address these challenges, experts called for a collaborative national approach similar to the model used to successfully expand subsea cable infrastructure. Proposed measures include adopting consortium-based models for inland fibre deployment, sharing route plans to avoid duplication, and implementing a unified rights-of-way approval framework with predictable timelines across states.
Additional recommendations include expanding Internet Exchange Points beyond Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Enugu, as well as providing incentives for deploying content delivery networks and edge infrastructure in more cities. Analysts warned that failure to implement these reforms could erode Nigeria’s competitiveness and leave it behind peer markets that have embraced open-access broadband frameworks.
