Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to suspend the implementation and enforcement of new regulations affecting digital platforms, internet intermediaries and other cross-cutting digital economy issues.
The directive, announced in a statement issued on Tuesday, is aimed at allowing the Ministry to complete an ongoing policy harmonisation exercise designed to eliminate regulatory overlaps and provide greater clarity for stakeholders.
According to the Minister, the decision followed a high-level strategic meeting with the leadership of the three agencies, where concerns were raised about the increasing convergence of telecommunications, digital platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), online safety and data governance.
Tijani acknowledged that while each agency operates within clearly defined legal mandates, the rapid evolution of Nigeria’s digital economy has created areas where their responsibilities increasingly overlap.
He stressed that effective coordination among regulators is essential to ensure legal certainty, encourage investment, drive innovation, strengthen consumer confidence and reinforce Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s leading digital economy.
As part of the harmonisation process, the Minister ordered that:
- The current regulatory framework governing internet platforms, online intermediaries and related digital economy issues should remain in place while policy alignment continues.
- The NCC, NITDA and NDPC should postpone the implementation or enforcement of any recently introduced regulations, guidelines, frameworks, directives or administrative requirements relating to areas currently under review.
- Existing regulations that fall strictly within each agency’s statutory mandate will remain in force, provided they are consistent with the Ministry’s policy direction.
To coordinate the exercise, the Ministry will establish a Joint Technical Coordination Committee comprising representatives of the NCC, NITDA and NDPC under the supervision of the Minister’s office.
The committee will engage industry players, civil society organisations, academia and other stakeholders before recommending a harmonised national policy and governance framework for Nigeria’s digital economy.
According to the Ministry, the exercise is not intended to reduce the statutory powers of any regulator. Rather, it seeks to ensure that government institutions adopt a coherent, predictable and future-ready regulatory approach to digital economy issues.
Tijani said the Ministry remains committed to developing policies that protect citizens, encourage innovation, strengthen digital trust and position Nigeria for sustained global competitiveness.
The directive comes less than 24 hours after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced that it had received presidential approval to investigate major global technology companies and generative AI platforms operating in Nigeria.
The investigation, reportedly authorised through a letter signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, will examine allegations of anti-competitive practices and the use of Nigerian media content without adequate compensation.
Companies expected to come under scrutiny include Meta, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), X (formerly Twitter), as well as several generative AI platforms operating in the country.
The latest move by the Communications Ministry signals an effort to ensure that Nigeria’s expanding digital regulatory landscape develops through coordinated policymaking rather than fragmented oversight, providing greater certainty for investors, technology firms and consumers alike.
