{"id":20233,"date":"2025-10-10T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=20233"},"modified":"2025-10-09T12:24:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T11:24:59","slug":"africa-must-prioritize-investment-in-telecoms-infrastructure-says-ndukwe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/10\/africa-must-prioritize-investment-in-telecoms-infrastructure-says-ndukwe\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa Must Prioritize Investment In Telecoms Infrastructure, Says Ndukwe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman of MTN Nigeria, issued a compelling call for African governments to prioritize investment in telecommunications infrastructure. Speaking during a high-profile plenary session titled \u201cTitans on the Move: Africa\u2019s Multinationals,\u201d Ndukwe emphasized that robust telecom networks are essential for sustainable economic growth and regional integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ndukwe noted that digital connectivity had become indispensable. \u201cIt showed us that without robust telecoms networks, national economies would have been paralysed,\u201d he said. The pandemic underscored the critical role of mobile and digital platforms in enabling businesses, institutions, and governments to continue functioning under lockdown conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond connectivity, Ndukwe argued that telecoms infrastructure serves as a gateway to broader social inclusion. Millions of Africans remain excluded from formal banking and education systems, and telecoms offer a lifeline. He cited the rise of mobile money as a transformative innovation, enabling financial access in regions with low banking penetration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfrica is solving uniquely African problems,\u201d Ndukwe said, pointing to how telecom operators are driving financial inclusion. He stressed that these innovations are not just technological feats but social tools that empower underserved populations and stimulate grassroots economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Ndukwe warned that the continent\u2019s telecom ambitions could be derailed by inconsistent regulatory environments. \u201cTelecoms companies make investments that run into billions of dollars. Without consistent regulatory environments, it becomes extremely difficult to plan and sustain such levels of capital deployment,\u201d he cautioned. He called for long-term policy stability and regulatory precision to support investor confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The session also featured insights from other industry leaders. Olugbenga Agboola, CEO of Flutterwave, highlighted how fintech is bridging fragmented payment systems across Africa, making cross-border trade more seamless. His remarks reinforced the idea that digital infrastructure is central to Africa\u2019s economic integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girish Sharma, Managing Director and CEO of Guinness Nigeria Plc, added a community-focused perspective. He emphasized that building trust with local populations is essential for corporate sustainability. \u201cMultinationals must engage deeply with the communities they serve,\u201d Sharma said, noting that social license is as important as financial performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the panelists painted a picture of a continent on the cusp of transformation\u2014if it can harness the power of digital infrastructure. From telecoms to fintech to consumer goods, African multinationals are not only expanding across borders but also reshaping how economies connect and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ndukwe, the message was clear: Africa\u2019s prosperity will depend on how well it strengthens and shares its \u201cinvisible infrastructure.\u201d As the summit concluded, his call to action resonated with policymakers, investors, and business leaders alike\u2014telecoms must be treated not as a luxury, but as a foundational pillar of development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman of MTN Nigeria, issued a compelling call for African governments to prioritize investment in telecommunications infrastructure. Speaking during a high-profile plenary session titled \u201cTitans on the Move: Africa\u2019s Multinationals,\u201d Ndukwe emphasized that robust telecom networks are essential for sustainable economic growth and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,4,5,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-international","category-lifestyle"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ndukwe.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20238,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20233\/revisions\/20238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}