The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has established an Internet Governance Working Group to improve stakeholder participation and support telecommunications licensees in meeting the requirements of the Internet Code of Practice (ICOP) 2026.
The initiative follows a survey conducted by the commission, which found that only two of the 19 licensees assessed were fully prepared to implement the code, while nine reported partial readiness and five said they were not ready.
Presenting the survey findings at the NCC’s Internet Governance Symposium in Lagos, the Head of the Commission’s Governance Unit, Dr Ibiso Kingsley-George, said operators needed clearer implementation guidelines, reporting templates and explanations of the code’s requirements.
She identified cybersecurity obligations and provisions relating to artificial intelligence (AI) as some of the most challenging areas for licensees.
The survey involved 47 respondents from the telecommunications industry, academia and civil society, including seven mobile network operators, five internet service providers and 12 academic institutions.
It also revealed limited engagement 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 not attended any internet governance event. Five organisations reported no engagement in such activities.
According to the findings, low awareness, the absence of internal directives and the perception that internet governance was unrelated to business operations were among the factors discouraging participation. About 34 per cent of respondents were also unaware of the Internet Governance Forum’s permanent mandate.
To address these challenges, the NCC said it would publish implementation guidelines and frequently asked questions, alongside organising workshops for licensees that were not yet prepared to comply with ICOP 2026.
The survey further highlighted shortcomings in AI governance. 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 proposed working group is expected to provide a sustained platform for stakeholder engagement and help close existing participation gaps.
The findings also showed that 94 per cent of respondents believed consumers should be informed when interacting with AI, although 40 per cent favoured periodic reporting over notification before deployment.
Cybersecurity, online safety and child protection, data protection and cross-border data transfers, as well as AI governance, were identified as leading priorities for 2026 and 2027.
Opening the symposium, the Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, said internet governance decisions had significant implications for economic opportunities, public trust, security and users’ rights.
He noted that the growing use of AI had introduced additional concerns involving harmful content, fraud, privacy, accountability and the protection of children and other vulnerable groups.
“These questions cannot be answered by one institution alone,” Oshadami said, emphasising the need for stronger cooperation among stakeholders.
He added that successful implementation of ICOP 2026 would require clear expectations, engagement with affected parties and consistent enforcement.
Oshadami also highlighted the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigeria Communication Sector (CRF-NCS), which calls for stronger security measures and greater resilience across infrastructure supporting digital services.
The symposium, the commission’s first, also examined issues relating to 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.
