Despite the assurance by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that Nigeria’s broadband penetration would reach and surpass 70 per cent threshold by the end of 2025, it appears such assurance is far from reality, considering the current broadband penetration level of 47.73 per cent with 103.5 million broadband subscriptions as at March 2025.
NCC had in 2023, assured Nigerians that the country would attain 50 per cent broadband penetration threshold by the end of 2023 and possibly surpasse the 70 per cent target by 2025, as contained in the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.
NCC’s assurance was based on the contribution of telecommunications’ sector to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), which increased significantly to 16 per cent in the second quarter of 2023, coupled with the various regulatory efforts put in place by the telecoms regulator.
As at March 2024, broadband penetration was 43.53 per cent, but it grew slightly to 45.61 per cent in January 2025, before reaching 47.73 in March 2025.
