Africa needs smarter telecom regulation for AI, satellite services: NCC

African regulators must adopt more sophisticated, evidence-based approaches to telecommunications regulation to keep pace with the continent's rapidly evolving digital landscape, driven by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and satellite services. This call emerged during the Heads of Regulators Roundtable hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja.

“

We may regulate markets of different sizes and operate under different legal frameworks, but the realities of our work are often remarkably similar.

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, stated that regulators across Africa, despite operating under diverse legal frameworks, share common challenges. These include ensuring infrastructure resilience, attracting investment, enhancing cybersecurity, improving affordability, and managing the integration of satellite and AI technologies. He emphasized the value of collaborative platforms for exchanging practical solutions to these shared issues.

Rimini Makama, NCC's Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, urged regulators to move beyond mere data collection towards leveraging data for more transparent and consumer-centric decisions. She noted that traditional regulatory models are insufficient for today's complex markets, which are being reshaped by broadband expansion, satellite services, AI, cloud computing, and digital public infrastructure.

“

Very often, the challenge one regulator is trying to solve has already been encountered by a colleague elsewhere on the continent. The question is how we make that exchange of experience more deliberate, more systematic and more useful to our institutions.

Makama highlighted the challenge of converting vast amounts of technical, market, and consumer data into effective policies. The NCC plans to present its regulatory intelligence ecosystem, which integrates data on service quality, consumer complaints, compliance, and market intelligence, to foster evidence-based decision-making. The commission also stressed the importance of strengthening data verification, improving data sharing, and utilizing advanced analytics among African regulators.

“

Our markets are no longer simple. Broadband is expanding, satellite services are arriving, AI, cloud computing and digital public infrastructure are reshaping our sector. The old regulatory approaches were built for a simpler time. They’re no longer enough.