Telecom regulator NCC gets recognition

Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator has been ranked among the country’s best-performing federal agencies in the latest government assessment of public institutions, a recognition that comes as the commission seeks to strengthen transparency, consumer protection, and regulatory oversight in Africa’s largest telecoms market.

The Nigerian Communications Commission placed third in the 2026 Public Service Reforms Performance Assessment conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, behind the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, it revealed in a statement to The PUNCH.

The assessment evaluated ministries, departments, and agencies across a range of governance indicators, including compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, fiscal transparency, institutional self-assessment, and the quality of official digital platforms.

The ranking provides an independent endorsement of reforms pursued by the NCC over the past two years as the regulator navigates mounting pressure to improve service quality, strengthen consumer confidence, and increase accountability in a telecommunications sector that underpins much of Nigeria’s digital economy.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, the commission’s Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, said the recognition validated the agency’s reform agenda while underscoring the need for sustained improvements.

“This recognition acknowledges our ongoing reform efforts and underscores the need to sustain them,” Oshadami said during the award ceremony in Abuja.

He said the assessment reflected the commission’s efforts to improve service quality, transparency, and responsiveness for telecommunications consumers while reinforcing confidence in regulatory standards across the industry.

The recognition follows a series of governance and regulatory initiatives introduced by the NCC, including the launch of the National Coverage Map, which provides near real-time information on mobile network availability across the country, and the publication of quarterly network performance reports aimed at improving transparency around operators’ service quality.

The regulator has also directed mobile network operators to simplify the presentation of tariff information for consumers and strengthened corporate governance requirements for licensees as part of broader efforts to improve accountability within the industry.

The reforms come at a pivotal period for Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, which is contending with rising operating costs, infrastructure challenges, and growing demand for reliable digital connectivity from businesses and consumers.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi, said the annual assessment recognises institutions that have demonstrated measurable progress in implementing public sector reforms, improving service delivery, and advancing transparency and accountability.

The latest ranking builds on the NCC’s performance in last year’s BPSR assessment, when it was recognised as the second-best-performing federal agency for official website performance. This year’s evaluation expanded its scope to include broader governance and institutional performance indicators, providing a more comprehensive measure of public sector effectiveness.

For the NCC, the recognition serves not only as a measure of institutional performance but also as an indication that governance standards are becoming an increasingly important benchmark for regulators overseeing critical sectors of Nigeria’s economy.