Nigeria’s digital divide is no longer just a development challenge; it is a national emergency threatening the country’s global competitiveness.

According to experts, despite rapid advances in technology, millions of Nigerians remain cut off from affordable Internet access, reliable electricity, and opportunities to build digital skills. At the heart of this gap lies a tangled web of policies: multiple taxation, prohibitive right-of-way charges, and inconsistent state regulations that make it more expensive to deliver bandwidth to rural communities than to ship it overseas.

Without a deliberate policy overhaul, the promise of scientific innovation will remain out of reach for the majority of citizens.

These were the submissions of experts at the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) organised innovative and scientific conference in Lagos.

Themed: “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide with Scientific Innovation,” the conference featured a panel discussion titled “The Place of Policy and Infrastructure in Nigeria’s Quest for Global Competitiveness through Scientific Innovation: Roles of Different Stakeholders in Grassroots Mobilisation.”

Industry leaders identified multiple taxation, prohibitive right-of-way costs, and inconsistent state-level policies as major obstacles slowing infrastructure rollout.

One panellist, ATCON Executive Secretary, Ajibola Olude, noted that transporting bandwidth from Lagos to Canada is cheaper than delivering services to other parts of Nigeria due to transport access limitations.

He explained: “When we talk about right-of-way limitation, it plays on the cost of providing services to some sub-nationals. Some states say the right of way is free, but when they give you free right of way, they add other elements: development charge, education levy, infrastructure fee, and all of that make a mess of the free right of way.” He called for harmonised policies to ensure affordable Internet access across the country.

Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo stressed that policies must not favour only dominant players. “Policy should not get higher; it’s just for the food. That’s why the policy is not, for instance, cyber security will not work,” he said, adding that regulatory engagement with the industry had seen some improvement.

Speaking on the Panel, Abayomi Oduwole of Systemspecs shared insights from supporting young innovators through essay competitions and grants, saying: “We believe that by helping people think, helping the educational system, people in secondary school, primary school, from that young age, they think wide and broadly about what innovation looks like. By opening up those eyes at that young age, the older they become, they can fall into these opportunities.” He stressed that innovators exist everywhere, including rural villages, and need exposure to thrive.

On cybersecurity capacity building, Head, Pre-sales, Quomodo Systems Africa, Olukayode Joseph, emphasised grassroots talent development. “Part of what we are known for is the development of local talent. We don’t just import talent or rely on experts from overseas. We bring in interns from schools, and they go through the element of understanding what cybersecurity is.” He suggested rehabilitation over incarceration for young cyber offenders: “We need to find a way to retain them. Not necessarily put them in jail, but ensure we have programmes to harness their talents.”

Chairman, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Dr Adesina Adewale, outlined a roadmap starting from primary education. “If Nigeria is going to be globally competitive, we start from the primary school level. At that level, we need to teach them early, bring coaching and robotics to them. Our schools should not just be examination centres; we should make our schools innovation clubs,” he said, citing the recent launch of an AI university portal in Lagos that builds a digital talent pipeline from primary school to university.

On the role of regulation, media analyst and Online Editor, ThisDay Media, Emma Okonji, cautioned against over-regulation. “Regulation must come with discussion. In the first phase, regulators should be looking at how to build things so they don’t stifle innovation. If you bring so much regulation, that stifles innovation,” he said, noting that Nigeria is currently considering AI regulation and must strike the right balance.

NITRA Chairman, Chike Onwuegbuchi, had earlier noted that the conference was designed to provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss policies that would strengthen scientific innovation and promote grassroots technological development. The Federal Government, he said, has demonstrated growing commitment to building an innovation-driven economy through strategic programmes.