NCC Boss, Olorunnimbe Links Affordable Hardware to ‘Free Data’ Education Blueprint

The Nigerian government has opened a window for international tech investors, offering direct presidential intervention and economic waivers for hardware companies that establish manufacturing hubs in Nigeria by November 2026.

Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, made the declaration during a ministerial-level address at the Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai.

Presidential support for local manufacturing

Highlighting the government’s commitment to supporting new factories, Olorunnimbe stated: “Whatever it takes to get the plant standing, we will pursue it together, because every factory that rises in Nigeria grows our economy, employs our young people, and brings the price of a phone closer to what an ordinary Nigerian can pay.”

The offer is intended to stimulate foreign direct investment and create employment for Nigeria’s youth population.

Rationale for localising the supply chain

Olorunnimbe said Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem is exposed to external economic shocks, with foreign-exchange fluctuations and import duties affecting device affordability for many citizens.

By localising the supply chain, the NCC aims to anchor device pricing to the local currency and reduce volatility linked to the US Dollar.

He stated that the administration is prepared to deploy executive support, describing connectivity infrastructure as a central element of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, which treats “connectivity as productive infrastructure for the whole economy rather than a luxury for a few”.

Zero-rated education and embedded access

The manufacturing push is tied to the NCC’s initiative to advance digital education through the zero-rating of educational portals.

Olorunnimbe has previously said that requiring a child to buy data to access a textbook is similar to charging tuition at the entrance of a public school.

To implement the vision, the proposed locally assembled smartphones, MiFi units, and home routers will come pre-configured with embedded access to these zero-rated educational platforms.

This is intended to ensure that digital literacy tools are integrated into the devices from the point of manufacture.

Government services and financial inclusion

The indigenous devices will also come pre-installed with core government application portals, to simplify access to digital identity verifications, public health services, and agricultural extension services.

By embedding essential state services on affordable, locally produced hardware, the NCC aims to address both device cost and data expenses.

The Commission said this approach also supports financial inclusion. Verifiable identity frameworks such as the NIN and BVN are expected to enable citizens to access credit-linked device-financing schemes.

Olorunnimbe noted that by pairing “verifiable identity with credit history and secure device technology, then the phone itself becomes the on-ramp: to a credit record, and then to the wider financial system”.

Policy approach

Olorunnimbe said the NCC is shifting from reliance on enforcement against informal markets to building a structured marketplace through policy incentives and executive support.

He stated that through this roadmap, the NCC is positioning Nigeria as a hub for digital growth on the continent, with an emphasis on using national infrastructure to support human development.