The GSM revolution has become a major driver of Nigeria’s economic development, supporting banking, commerce, education, healthcare and digital payments. Chairman of MTN Nigeria and former Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Ernest Ndukwe, said telecommunications has become essential to virtually every part of the economy.
“The biggest impact has been its role in catalysing economic development. There is hardly any aspect of commerce that does not depend on telecommunications services,” Ndukwe said. He noted that companies such as Visa and Mastercard previously avoided Nigeria because they could not operate effectively without reliable telecommunications services.
The financial sector has been among the biggest beneficiaries. “For the banking industry today, it would have been impossible to attain the expansion and the high level of performance and efficiency it has attained without pervasive telecommunications infrastructure and services,” he said. Ndukwe added that mobile money and fintech platforms such as MoMo, Opay, Moniepoint and PalmPay also depend on telecommunications infrastructure.
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The impact extends to education, healthcare and access to information. “Telecommunications has also transformed education, healthcare and access to information,” Ndukwe said, noting that broadband has become a foundation for learning and that connectivity supported the use of platforms such as Zoom during COVID-19.
Ndukwe said telecommunications has also helped Nigeria remain connected to global developments. “Telecommunications has made it possible for Nigeria to participate in global developments and has helped prevent the digital divide between us and the more advanced countries from widening further.”
He said the transformation demonstrates how telecommunications infrastructure can support wider economic development, from financial services and commerce to education and healthcare. As Nigeria’s digital economy expands, the sectors built around connectivity continue to deepen the economic impact of the GSM revolution.
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