NCC Calls for Specialised Tech Skills as Nigeria Enters New Phase of Digital Transformation

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, has made a compelling case for the urgent development of specialised technology skills, arguing that Nigeria's digital transformation can only succeed if investments in connectivity and infrastructure are matched by equivalent investments in people.

Maida made the remarks during a panel session themed "Technology, Well-being and Workforce Efficiency" at BusinessDay's 14th Annual CEO Forum Nigeria 2026 in Lagos. The session brought together some of the country's most influential regulators, corporate leaders, and policy makers to discuss the intersection of technology adoption, workforce readiness, and institutional reform in Nigeria's evolving economic landscape.

"The country's next phase of digital transformation requires a stronger pipeline of specialised technology talent capable of supporting emerging innovations across sectors," Maida said.

The NCC chief also revealed that the commission had been working to revive specialised training institutes to address the growing demand for skills that can drive industry-level innovation. "We have established institutes that we are trying to revive because the industry needs specialised skills that can drive innovation," Maida said, adding that "twenty years ago, telecommunications liberalisation was simply about helping people communicate. Today, connected networks are transforming virtually every sector of the economy. That is why reforms must continue."

The regulators said digital transformation cannot succeed without parallel investments in workforce skills, employee wellness, and institutional reforms, adding that technology investments alone will not deliver shared prosperity unless investments match them in people.

The NCC chief also called for a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation, saying technology policy can no longer operate in isolation because connectivity now underpins national productivity.

Maida stressed that the days of treating the telecom sector as a standalone vertical are over. As broadband connectivity becomes the backbone of agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, and manufacturing, the quality of the skills base determines how much value Nigerians can extract from the infrastructure being built.

The NCC and its training arm, the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), have unveiled plans to reposition the institute as a leading centre for digital skills development, research, innovation, and policy to support Nigeria's digital economy.

DBI CEO David Daser disclosed this following the inaugural meeting of the institute's newly constituted Interim Governing Board, chaired by Princess Oforitsenere Emiko. Daser said the meeting signalled the beginning of a new phase in the institute's transformation, with a focus on making it Nigeria's leading centre for digital capacity development and a globally recognised institution for technology education and policy development.

According to Daser, stronger collaboration between the Board, the management of the institute, and the NCC will enhance DBI's capacity to deliver quality digital skills training while supporting Nigeria's broader digital transformation goals. "The future is digital, and we remain committed to ensuring Nigeria is not just a participant but a leader in shaping it," Daser said.

Princess Emiko was appointed Interim Chairman of the Digital Bridge Institute in June to provide strategic leadership for the Institute's ongoing transformation, strengthen its role in Nigeria's digital capacity development agenda, and prepare more Nigerians for opportunities in the global digital economy.

Nigeria's skills landscape in 2026 is shaped by three converging forces: a rapidly growing digital economy that demands technical talent at unprecedented scale, critical infrastructure gaps in energy and healthcare that require specialised expertise, and a young population of over 200 million that represents both the challenge and the solution.

The most in-demand skills in Nigeria include cybersecurity, software development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, data analytics, healthcare, renewable energy, digital marketing, project management, and financial analysis. Technology skills dominate the list, driven by Nigeria's expanding fintech sector, the government's 3MTT digital talent programme, and the rapid digitisation of banking, healthcare, and public services.

The 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, a federal government initiative under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy executed by NITDA, aims to train three million Nigerians in digital skills by 2027. The programme covers software development, AI, data science, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, with specialised tracks including DeepTech_Ready (2026). The first phase trained 30,000 fellows across all 36 states and the FCT.

The CEO Forum session also addressed the important link between workforce productivity and employee health. Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General and CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), said Nigerian employers must rethink workplace health as a productivity strategy rather than merely an employee benefit. According to him, the future of healthcare is shifting from treating illness to preventing disease through wellness programmes, preventive care, and broader health insurance coverage.

Both regulators converged on the message that the next chapter of Nigeria's development will be defined by the strength of its human capital, both in terms of technical skills and physical and mental wellbeing. They warned against treating digital skills and healthcare as separate domains, arguing that a productive workforce capable of driving a digital economy requires both an educated mind and a healthy body.

Nigeria's economic trajectory, driven by the 3MTT digital talent pipeline, $1 billion cloud infrastructure investments, and the renewable energy expansion, signals that demand for skilled workers will only accelerate.

With the 2027 general elections approaching and economic discontent running high, the success of the Tinubu administration's digital and economic reform agenda will in large part be measured by whether these investments in skills and infrastructure translate into tangible opportunities for ordinary Nigerians, particularly the youth, who make up the majority of the country's population.

For the NCC, the message at the BusinessDay CEO Forum was clear: Nigeria has the networks, the ambition, and increasingly the institutional frameworks to drive a genuine digital economy revolution. But without the skilled people to inhabit those networks and build on that infrastructure, the revolution will stall before it truly begins.