The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised concerns over poor preparedness among telecommunications operators to implement the Internet Code of Practice (ICOP) 2026, with a survey showing that only two of 19 licensees assessed were fully ready to comply.
Key Highlights
- Only two of 19 licensees assessed are fully ready to implement ICOP 2026.
- Nine reported partial readiness, while five said they were not ready.
- 73% of respondents use or test AI, but only 39% have an approved AI policy.
- 40% of respondents have never attended an internet governance event.
- NCC sets up an internet governance working group and plans guidelines, FAQs and workshops.
The findings have exposed gaps in regulatory awareness, implementation planning and artificial intelligence (AI) governance across Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, prompting the commission to establish an internet governance working group to improve stakeholder participation and support compliance.
Presenting the survey results at the NCC’s first internet governance symposium in Lagos, the Head of the Commission’s Governance Unit, Ibiso Kingsley-George, said operators need clearer implementation guidelines, reporting templates and explanations of the code’s requirements.
Readiness Gaps
According to the survey, nine licensees reported partial readiness, while five said they were not ready to implement the code.
Cybersecurity obligations and provisions relating to AI were identified as some of the most challenging areas for operators.
The findings suggest that several licensees may require additional guidance and support to understand and implement the new requirements.
The survey involved 47 respondents drawn from the telecommunications industry, academia and civil society. They included seven mobile network operators, five internet service providers and 12 academic institutions.
Beyond compliance concerns, the survey revealed limited participation in internet governance activities, with 53 per cent of respondents saying they had participated in the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, while 40 per cent had never attended any internet governance event.
Five organisations also reported no engagement in internet governance activities.
The commission attributed the low participation to factors including inadequate awareness, the absence of internal directives and the perception that internet governance had little connection with organisations’ business operations.
About 34 per cent of respondents were also unaware of the internet governance forum’s permanent mandate.
To address the gaps, the NCC said it would publish implementation guidelines and frequently asked questions, as well as organise workshops for licensees that were not yet prepared to comply with ICOP 2026.
AI Adoption Outpaces Policy
The survey also highlighted a gap between the growing adoption of artificial intelligence and the policies needed to regulate its use within organisations.
Although 73 per cent of respondents said their organisations were using or testing AI, only 39 per cent had an approved AI policy, while 34 per cent reported applying human oversight.
The figures raise questions about how organisations are managing the risks associated with AI deployment, including accountability, privacy, harmful content and consumer protection.
On transparency, 94 per cent of respondents believed consumers should be informed when interacting with AI systems.
However, 40 per cent favoured periodic reporting over notifying consumers before an AI system was deployed.
The survey identified cybersecurity, online safety and child protection, data protection and cross-border data transfers, alongside AI governance, as key priorities for 2026 and 2027.
Read also:
- Nigeria Launches NUCAP in Abia, Targets 3,700 Telecom Towers to Connect 20 Million People
- NCC Warns Nigerians Over Unapproved Phones as NBTI Showcases 298 Innovators Globally
- MTN Nigeria Confirms Network Outage in Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Delta, FCT
Call for Collaboration
Opening the symposium, the Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, who represented the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, said internet governance decisions had far-reaching implications for economic opportunities, public trust, security and users’ rights.
He said the increasing use of AI had introduced additional challenges involving fraud, harmful content, privacy, accountability and the protection of children and other vulnerable groups.
“These questions cannot be answered by one institution alone,” Oshadami said, calling for stronger cooperation among government agencies, telecommunications operators, academics, civil society groups and other stakeholders.
He said effective implementation of ICOP 2026 would depend on clear expectations, engagement with affected parties and consistent enforcement.
Oshadami also highlighted the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigeria Communication Sector (CRF-NCS), which seeks to strengthen security measures and improve the resilience of infrastructure supporting digital services.
The symposium examined other issues, including the .ng domain, domain name system security, domain abuse and the ISO/IEC 42001 standard for AI management systems.
Oshadami urged participants to openly discuss implementation challenges and commit to their respective responsibilities in strengthening internet governance in Nigeria.
The new working group is expected to provide a sustained platform for stakeholder engagement and help address the participation and compliance gaps identified by the survey.
However, the survey’s findings leave a central challenge for the commission: translating its planned guidelines, workshops and stakeholder consultations into measurable improvements in compliance, cybersecurity and responsible AI use across the telecommunications sector.
For more tech and telecoms news, follow us on X.
