The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the advancement of Africa’s digital infrastructure, cementing his reputation as a transformative leader in the continent’s technology sector.

The Digital Innovation Awards, organized by InstinctWave, is one of Africa’s foremost platforms celebrating excellence in ICT and digital transformation.

This year’s ceremony highlighted the pivotal role of data centers and digital infrastructure in shaping Africa’s economic future.

Mr Akin Naphtal, CEO, InstinctWave described Nnamani as an exceptional driver of the continent’s digital economy,” commending his strategic vision and hands-on leadership in building critical data center infrastructure.

“Engr. Nnamani’s work has laid the foundation for Africa’s digital growth, making him a standout choice for this honour,” Naphtal said, adding that his influence extends well beyond Nigeria, impacting the continent at large.

Accepting the award, Engr. Nnamani expressed deep gratitude and dedicated the recognition to the Digital Realty Nigeria team, industry partners, and his family.

“This recognition fuels my passion to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation,” he remarked. “I’m humbled, but I see this as a call to continue driving innovation for the continent’s prosperity.”

Nnamani emphasized that the success of Digital Realty Nigeria is the result of collective effort, and he reaffirmed his commitment to fostering growth and innovation across Africa’s digital ecosystem.

The Digital Economy Icon of the Year accolade adds to a growing list of recognition for Nnamani in 2025. He had received the Datacenter ICON Award at the Africa Digital Economy Awards (ADEA).

These honours reflect his sustained leadership and vision in positioning Digital Realty Nigeria as  Africa’s most interconnected data center facility and a primary peering point for the region.

Engr. Nnamani’s efforts have not only advanced Nigeria’s ICT landscape but have also contributed to the development of telecom and ICT infrastructure across multiple African countries.

His work has empowered businesses with access to world-class data center services, supported the localization of digital content, and attracted foreign direct investment into the region.

The event, themed “Impact of Adjacent Agencies on Nigerian Telecom Sector: The Way Forward,” was an in-depth conversation about the structural and regulatory issues stalling industry growth.

The President of ATCON, Tony Emoekpere, opened the meeting with a reflection on the journey so far. “Two years ago, I was entrusted with the mandate to lead this association, and I’ve done so to the best of my ability with absolute focus,” he said. 

He noted that the association has grown with at least 27 new member companies joining during his tenure, and that ATCON had engaged with over 75 strategic global and local events to defend industry interests.

However, he stressed the pressing concerns about the growing influence of non-core regulatory bodies in telecom operations. 

Emoekpere led a no-holds-barred discussion, pointing out that several agencies outside the industry were imposing levies and regulations, thereby disrupting operations.

“We have other agencies that are trying to create some form of levies, looking for ways to impose charges right away on their operations,” he said. “We don’t want to be in an environment where our investment is totally at risk, or where people don’t even want to invest in our sector.”

Participants described the actions of these adjacent agencies as intrusive and economically damaging. Multiple operators spoke about what they termed regulatory duplicity, instances where different state agencies imposed overlapping charges and policies. 

A stakeholder stated: “We already face enough ends. We don’t want to have other people taking up the responsibility.”

The need for a one-stop-shop regulatory model was a recurring recommendation. “In some states, you have the State Revenue Service, the State Infrastructure Agency, the Urban Planning Agency – all coming after you for the same reason. It is not sustainable,” another stakeholder said.

The discussion turned inward when Engineer Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO, Digital Realty (Nigeria) and former president of ATCON, noted industry indiscipline and undercutting among telecom players.

He pointed out that while some members advocate for tariff increases, others reject it, leaving the entire sector weakened. “We’re in the same industry, and they are better capitalised than us… we’re hurting ourselves,” he stated.

This disunity was seen in competition for bank contracts. “The same bank writes you and says decrease your service price, even after telling you that your cost of capital has gone up,” he added. “We don’t function as an association. We don’t function as a group. So when they harass us, we go back and start competing amongst ourselves.”

Vice President of ATCON and CEO of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Muhammed Rudman, stated: “99.98% of internet users in Nigeria access it via mobile, while only 0.2% use fixed lines,” a sharp contrast to South Africa where over 50% of users are on fixed lines, enabling better in-country data traffic retention. 

“Brazil is now the second largest country with internet networks because they domesticated 90% of their traffic through strong associations.”

As tensions rose, Emoekpere reaffirmed ATCON’s focus on industry-wide cohesion. He revealed plans to set up an Industry Think Tank Committee to establish standardised guidelines for engagement with adjacent agencies.

“We must start having industry committees, think tanks to handle some of these matters, so we can now come up with a position,” he said.

Calls for a renewed code of conduct were made, and several members volunteered for roles in committees aimed at solving these regulatory and operational issues. “We must move from talk to structure,” he asserted.

The meeting also touched on education and workforce development, with members agreeing that ATCON must play a more active role in impacting the academic curriculum to meet telecom industry demands.

The group resolved to explore partnerships, virtual training models, and institutional support for under-resourced tertiary institutions.

Closing the session, Emoekpere said, “ATCON is not just an association, it is a collective commitment to action. We do make an impact, and they are actually looking forward to our contributions.”

The newly elected executives were sworn in with high expectations. The first task on their table: push back against regulatory encroachment and unify a fractured industry.