Chief Executive Officer of NatCom Development & Investment Limited Mr. Soji Maurice-Diya, says the company remains bullish about its market comeback in Q1 2026, unveiling a renewed strategy to fill what he describes as “innovation gaps” in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem. Speaking during the Technology Times Thought Leadership Series, a quarterly platform powered by Digital Transformation Media Limited (DTML), publishers of Technology Times and eGovernance Nigeria Magazine, the ntel CEO shared his company’s renewed vision to re-enter Nigeria’s highly competitive telecoms market through an infrastructure-light model anchored on innovation, broadband inclusion, and youth-focused digital engagement. We think that there’s a lot of innovation that’s yet to happen in this space,” Maurice-Diya said. “With all due respect to our partners and competitors in the ecosystem, we don’t think there’s been nearly enough innovation in the last few years.” According to him, ntel’s return will not seek to replicate existing market models, but to target niche segments of Nigerian consumers through products that deliver distinctive value propositions. “For us to go and play in the 100 million subscriber game, that’s not what we’re about,” he stated. “We’re about to find a very small subset of subscribers, and serve them extremely well. We think the future will kind of take care of itself if we’re able to do that very well.”
Reimagining the Role of Telecoms in Nigeria Maurice-Diya said ntel’s return reflects a broader belief that the Nigerian telecoms industry still holds enormous untapped potential for innovation and cross-sector value creation. He said that while the industry has matured over the last 25 years—becoming a key enabler of Nigeria’s economy—fresh ideas are still required to drive its next phase of evolution.
“Most of us are aware that the telecoms industry in Nigeria, as we know it today, started almost 25 years ago,” he said. “It has witnessed significant and impactful growth, particularly in supporting Nigeria’s broader commercial ecosystem. Over the last 25 years, one would argue that the sector has become a mature market and there’s a lot more stability.” He commended long-standing operators like MTN, Airtel, and Glo for demonstrating long-term commitment to the market, adding that their continued investments have strengthened the industry’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. However, he argued that the next chapter of the Nigerian telecoms story must see operators evolving beyond providing connectivity, toward becoming digital platforms that enable and unlock new opportunities across other sectors. “Telcos have to be able to play more than just a communication or connectivity role and become a digital platform that can enable and unlock a lot of additional opportunities,” he said.
On the policy front, the ntel CEO praised ongoing reforms driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, especially the tariff relief measures introduced between late 2024 and early 2025. He said these interventions have created “a bit more justification for further investment in the industry.” Maurice-Diya emphasised the need for stronger synergy between the communications and financial sectors, which
he described as critical to the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s digital economy. “There needs to be more synergy between the communications ecosystem and the financial sector,” he said. “To the extent possible that there is a bit more closer working relationship between both ecosystems to birth what I think is the next chapter that can help define the broader ecosystem in the next 25 years.” He added that dynamic pricing, tax incentives, and sustainability-driven infrastructure policies will remain central to improving industry competitiveness. “Dynamic pricing and allowing a bit more flexibility in the tariff regime might be one,” he explained. “In addition to it there are tax incentives. Again, I think the government has played a role in creating some reduction in tax-based taxes around withholding tax. A little bit more can be done there.”
The ntel CEO commended the Federal Government’s rural broadband initiatives, particularly the planned deployment of 7,000 telecom towers and 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure over the next five years.
“I think those, while they’re not necessarily policy interventions, are welcome interventions that will help,” he said. We at ntel will play a role not only by supporting the ecosystem but also creating a couple of interesting products that we think will also further broaden and deepen connectivity and improve telecommunication services across the
country.” Maurice-Diya called for a regulatory environment that allows innovation to flourish before being constrained by over-regulation. “A lot of times regulation comes on the back of innovation,” he noted. “The government should continue to allow for innovation first, and then regulate on the back-end because you can’t regulate everything. When you over-regulate, you stifle innovation.” He cited global experiences such as cryptocurrency to illustrate how measured regulatory approaches can support innovation without compromising stability. “You start by allowing innovation to happen, and as long as you keep your pulse on what’s going on, I think you’ll find that there are actually opportunities,” he added. The ntel CEO also underscored the importance of local content development in strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy. He said the sustainability of the telecoms industry will depend on the country’s ability to localise technology, infrastructure, and talent. “The sustainability of the industry is predicated on the ability to localise as much as possible,” Maurice-Diya said. In the early days it was understandable that a lot of our capacity was built from outside of the country, but over time
there’s now opportunities to start to localise those things.” He acknowledged ongoing government efforts through initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme aimed at deepening local capacity, adding that “the industry is headed in the right direction. External influences can be expensive and sometimes not necessarily committed to the long-term growth of the industry,” he warned. “The policies have to just continue to support it.” According to Maurice-Diya, sustaining investor confidence will require continued macroeconomic stability, particularly around foreign exchange, tax policy, and capital repatriation.
