Nigeria’s broadband penetration rose marginally to 48.15 per cent in April 2025, up from 47.73 per cent in March, according to the latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This translates to 104.3 million broadband connections across the country.
While the slight uptick shows continued growth in internet access, analysts say Nigeria is still far off track in achieving the ambitious 70 per cent broadband penetration target outlined in the National Broadband Plan (NBP 2020–2025), which is due to expire later this year.
When the NBP was launched in March 2020, broadband penetration stood at 39.85 per cent, with about 75.4 million users. Five years later, the country has added close to 29 million broadband users, yet remains well behind schedule.
At the heart of the slow progress are policy and regulatory bottlenecks, particularly from state governments. One major challenge is the high cost of Right of Way (RoW) charges, which telecom operators must pay to lay fibre infrastructure. While seven states have waived these charges to encourage broadband rollout, many others continue to impose prohibitive fees.
Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, recently raised concerns at a telecom forum, warning that state-level regulations are hampering the national drive to expand broadband access.
“To fully realize the benefits of digitization and meet the NBP targets, state governments must ease regulatory burdens and drive policies that are investor-friendly,” Maida said.
“Obstacles such as multiple taxation, RoW charges, and weak infrastructure policies at the sub-national level are stalling progress. Reducing these burdens will boost connectivity and open up economic opportunities.”
Maida described broadband as a key driver of economic growth, saying it plays a vital role in job creation, entrepreneurship, and bridging the digital divide.
The Broadband Plan set clear milestones to be achieved between 2020 and 2025. By the end of 2023, penetration was expected to hit 50 per cent. However, it only reached 43.71 per cent and rose modestly to 44.43 per cent by the end of 2024.
The Plan also recommended that 70 per cent of telecom subscriptions should be on 4G networks by 2023. Yet, NCC data shows that as of April 2025, only 49.27 per cent of Nigeria’s 172 million mobile subscriptions are on 4G.
Another major objective of the NBP was the establishment of a local smartphone assembly plant by 2023 to drive down the cost of smartphones, one of the key barriers to broadband access. The Plan envisioned smartphones priced as low as ₦18,000.
However, this goal remains unmet. As of April 2025, no smartphone assembly plant has been established in Nigeria, and the devaluation of the Naira has sent the price of entry-level smartphones soaring—now above ₦100,000, putting them out of reach for millions.
