Nigerians to pay 60% more for calls, data— Minister

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said Nigerians will have to pay 30-60 percent more for calls, data, and other services in the telecommunications sector.

Tijani disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television, recently.

He said the telecommunications sector is entirely about investment to spur Nigeria’s economic growth.

Tijani noted that investors in the sector continuously invest in equipment to remain relevant despite inflation.

The Minister said, “I think the telecommunications tariff increase should not be more than 30 to 60 percent.

“The sector is about investment in infrastructure; the technologies are changing, so you have to keep investing in technology. Things like 3G will be decommissioned at some point because you have higher technology, so they have to keep investing in equipment. And we all know that there is inflation. For us, as we are protecting them, we want to keep importing capital in the sector. The foreign direct investment in our sector in the first quarter of 2024, driven by telcos, was close to $199 million; this is bigger than the entire inflow in 2023. We can’t get to a $1 trillion economy if mobile network operators are investing at a snail’s pace.”

Tijani had earlier confirmed that Nigeria’s telecom services tariff will be increased, but not by 100 per cent.