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The NCC says inaccessible digital products, expensive devices and connectivity, weak digital skills and limited participation in service design continue to exclude persons with disabilities from Nigeria’s digital economy.
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The Commission says digital inclusion must go beyond access to devices, covering affordability, accessibility, online safety, digital skills and meaningful participation.
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Stakeholders say digital training must translate into employment, entrepreneurship, financial access and accessible infrastructure rather than remain limited to short-term skills programmes.
September 15, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for stronger measures to remove barriers preventing persons with disabilities from fully participating in Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
The Commission made the call during a two-day specialised Digital Citizenship Training for Persons with Disabilities in Lagos, organised in partnership with CBM International Nigeria.
Representing the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, the Director, Digital Economy Department, Helen Obi, said Nigeria’s digital transformation would only be meaningful if it was inclusive, accessible and people-centred.
She identified inaccessible digital products, the high cost of devices and connectivity, inadequate digital skills and limited involvement of persons with disabilities in the design of digital services as major obstacles.
“Digital inclusion must therefore encompass accessibility, affordability, digital skills, safety and meaningful use,” Obi said.
Citing World Health Organisation data, she said about 1.3 billion people globally, or one in six people, experienced significant disability, making digital exclusion a major challenge to building an inclusive economy.
From digital access to economic opportunity
Obi said digital citizenship involved more than knowing how to operate a smartphone or computer. It also required the ability to protect personal information, identify scams and misinformation, safeguard digital identity and understand online rights and responsibilities.
For persons with disabilities, she said technology could expand access to education and employment, support entrepreneurship and remote work, improve access to public and financial services and increase independence through assistive technologies.
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The economic implications are significant because exclusion from digital platforms can also limit access to customers, financial services, government programmes and employment opportunities.
Michael Idah, Country Programme Manager, CBM International Nigeria, said technical training would only have lasting value if it resulted in systemic changes, employment pathways and accessible infrastructure across the public and private sectors.
Informal businesses face financing barriers
Adekola Oluwafunmilayo, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Orientation at the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, said the NCC partnership could strengthen digital skills and economic empowerment among persons with disabilities.
She said improved skills could increase their economic capacity and independence, but noted that some persons with disabilities operated businesses without formal registration, restricting their access to certain financial opportunities.
The development comes as the Federal Ministry of Education said 16,000 Nigerians had enrolled in the first cohort of its Digital Training Academy, a free government-backed programme aimed at equipping young Nigerians with globally recognised digital skills.
For Nigeria’s digital economy, however, the bigger challenge is ensuring that skills programmes are matched by affordable connectivity, accessible digital platforms, financing and employment opportunities so that vulnerable groups can convert digital access into sustainable income.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze is a writer specializing in business and economic journalism. At THEWILL News Media, she translates market trends, financial developments, and policy shifts into clear and engaging stories.
