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The Federal Government has ordered a temporary halt to the implementation and enforcement of new regulations affecting internet platforms, online intermediaries and other key areas of the digital economy, pending the completion of a coordinated national policy framework.
The decision was announced by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, following a high-level meeting involving the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the minister directed the agencies to suspend enforcement of regulatory instruments recently introduced and included in the ongoing inter-agency harmonization process coordinated by the ministry.
“The existing regulatory status quo will be maintained with respect to matters relating to internet platforms, online intermediaries, and other cross-sectoral digital economy issues which are currently undergoing inter-agency policy harmonization under the Ministry’s coordination,” the statement read.
The directive also instructs these agencies not to implement any recently issued regulations, frameworks, codes, guidelines or administrative requirements related to internet platforms and related digital economy issues currently under review.
Despite the suspension, Tijani stressed that the move does not override or weaken the legal mandate of the regulatory bodies involved.
“All other provisions of existing regulations, guidelines, codes of conduct and directives that fall within the express mandate of the relevant institutions under existing laws will remain fully operational and enforceable, provided they are consistent with the policy directions issued by the Honorable Minister,” the statement added.
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Explaining the rationale behind the decision, the minister noted that the rapid transformation of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem has increasingly blurred the lines between the responsibilities of various regulators.
“The convergence of telecommunications, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, online security and data governance requires a coordinated whole-of-government approach in policy development and implementation,” he said.
According to Tijani, aligning the activities of sector regulators is important to eliminate uncertainty, encourage investment and create a more predictable environment for businesses operating in the digital space.
“Regulatory coordination is not only critical to maintaining legal certainty but is also critical to driving investment, innovation, consumer confidence and Nigeria’s long-term competitiveness as Africa’s leading digital economy,” he added.
As part of efforts to achieve this goal, the minister announced the formation of a joint technical coordination committee consisting of representatives of the NCC, NITDA and NDPC. This committee will oversee stakeholder engagement and develop recommendations for an integrated national governance and policy framework for the digital sector.
The proposed framework is expected to provide clearer definitions of the responsibilities of the three agencies, minimize regulatory overlap, reduce the compliance burden on businesses and strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ministry emphasized that this harmonization initiative aims to increase cooperation between regulators and create a more coherent policy environment, rather than reducing the legal authority of any agency involved.
This latest directive comes less than a day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu instructed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major technology companies and generative artificial intelligence platforms over alleged anti-competitive behavior and exploitation of content produced by Nigerian media organizations.
