With approval from the nation’s telecommunications regulator, and to further ensure a robust conversation around the recent law declaring telecom infrastructure as a Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), positioning it as a national resource to be protected, the planned CNII & Sustainability Conference 2025 discuss has been rescheduled to hold on August 7, 2025 in Lagos.
The Forum, which is being organized as a collaboration between industry media group, the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) and telecom operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) was earlier billed to hold on July 30, 2025, but has to seek a new date following an all-inclusive telecom stakeholders’ event by the regulator.
The event also has the support of industry associations such as the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
The ‘Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024’ was passed in August 2024. However, the industry is yet to feel the real impact of the Act.
NITRA, the umbrella Association for technology reporters in Nigeria, in a statement announcing a joint-industry forum, had noted that mere declaration of the CNII order as an Act cannot solely guarantee infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators, further disclosed that the forum will bring stakeholders together to address pertinent issues and questions begging for answers.
Scheduled to hold at CitiHeight Hotel, Ikeja, the event, tagged “Industry Sustainability And CNII Conference 2025 – Way Forward” will gather stakeholders to discuss the practical way forward, noting that passage of the Bill alone will not achieve desired results.
According to the organisers, questions that stakeholders will provide answers to at the event include:
- How do we ensure that this law is implemented to the letter?
- Are there areas worth looking into once more, or is the Act perfect as it is?
- What are the roles of each stakeholder in the industry – Federal, States, Operators, Consumers, and other actors?
- Are individual telecom companies and service providers keying into the CNII provisions, and how?
- What are the roles of regulators in ensuring public compliance to the Act?
- How do we ensure security?
- What is the place of collaboration?
- Publicity: how much of the CNII provisions are the public aware of?
- How can we sustain the growth and development of telecommunications in Nigeria?
The Panel Discussion sessions will look into some of the questions arising from industry sustainability and CNII implementation.
Expected at the event are the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, network operators, security agencies, regulators, the media, infrastructure companies and decision makers in private and public firms, among other guests.
According to a statement from NITRA, “It is a known fact that the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is crucial to the survivability of a nation, and that the destruction or disruption of these systems and communication networks would significantly affect the economic strength, image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety.”
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, had in a forum stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and tech-upgraded installation to prevent vandalism and theft.
Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, spoke of the importance of the Industry Sustainability and CNII Conference, noting that industry stakeholders need to come around a table to broker an understanding on how to secure telecom infrastructure, standing on FG’s proclamation of CNII.
He noted that with the CNII Act in place, stakeholders will have to formulate implementation measures on provisions of the Act and enforce compliance. These he disclosed, will be the outcome of the forum to be held in Lagos.
