TOLU JOHNSON
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has engaging the services of global consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct a comprehensive study on industry competition and address concerns around market dominance and ensure fair, effective and sustainable competition.
As a strategic move by the NCC, the initiative which kicked off with a high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos recently at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, is aimed at ensuring that competition in the sector remains fair, effective and sustainable amid rapid technological change
The initiative is expected to examine key issues including market concentration, pricing behaviour, barriers to entry, consumer switching patterns and monetisation opportunities, using internationally recognised analytical metrics.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos on Tuesday, Head of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at the NCC, Omotayo Mohammed, said the exercise is designed to strengthen regulatory certainty and support competition-led growth, rather than single out market winners or losers.
“This exercise is not about naming winners or losers. It is about strengthening regulatory certainty and ensuring that competition-led growth continues to deliver innovation, affordability and quality of service to consumers,” Mohammed said.
He explained that the PwC-led study will rely on extensive data submissions from telecom operators, with a two-week window for compliance, alongside stakeholder interviews and follow-up workshops. All information provided, he added, will be protected by strict confidentiality safeguards.
According to the NCC, the findings of the assessment are expected to guide proportionate regulatory interventions that will preserve competition, sustain long-term investment and reinforce Nigeria’s positioning within the global digital economy.
Also speaking at the event, the Director of Strategy at the PwC Network, Akolawole Odunlami, said global industry growth has slowed to between two and three per cent annually, compared with around four per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his words: “The Sub-Saharan Africa, subscriber numbers continue to rise, but average revenue per user (ARPU) is declining due to intense price competition, rising operating costs and changing consumer behavior. Those pressures are being felt across markets, not just in Nigeria.”
The forum brought together licensed operators, industry associations (such as ALTON and ATCON), and consumer advocacy groups and the media. During the session, PwC outlined its methodology, which includes gathering granular data and formal submissions from all active participants in the ecosystem to ensure the final report reflects the “evolving realities” of the 2026 market.
In line with the NCC’s policy of participatory regulation, the PwC’s extensive consultative process is the first of other sessions that will be holding subsequent periods.
