NCC Survey: AI Use in Nigerian Telecoms Is Outpacing Governance

Artificial intelligence is already working inside many of the organisations that run Nigeria’s phone and internet services, but the rules for managing it have not kept up. That is the headline finding of a survey presented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at its Internet Governance Symposium 2026 in Lagos, reported by BusinessDay on 15 October.

The survey is a useful snapshot of where Nigeria’s digital sector stands on AI, and it carries lessons for any business, large or small, that is adding AI tools to its operations.

What the survey found

The NCC polled 47 organisations drawn from industry, academia, research and civil society, including mobile network operators, internet service providers and members of the technical community. Among the key results:

• 73% of surveyed licensees said they were using or piloting AI in live operations.
• 27% said they had no governance arrangements for their AI systems.
• 94% supported telling consumers when they are interacting with AI.
• Three in five organisations had not taken part in internet governance processes, and 40% had not attended any internet governance event.
• 53% reported involvement with the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum.
• 46 of the 47 organisations said they were willing to join future consultations and workshops.

Respondents named cybersecurity, online safety, child online protection, data protection and AI governance as their priority concerns.

It is worth reading the numbers carefully. A sample of 47 organisations does not establish how widely AI is governed across the entire telecom industry, and the survey did not specify which AI applications respondents were using. Still, the direction is clear: adoption is moving faster than oversight.

What the NCC plans to do

According to BusinessDay, the Commission intends to clarify how AI systems are defined and what prior-notification requirements apply under its Internet Code of Practice 2026. It also plans to publish implementation guidelines, frequently asked questions and compliance templates, and to run workshops for licensees. No timetable for the AI guidance has been announced.

The strong support for AI disclosure stands out. If nearly all respondents back informing customers when they are dealing with AI, Nigerians may soon see clearer labelling on chatbots, automated customer service lines and other AI-driven interactions with their network providers.

Why this matters beyond telecoms

The gap the NCC found is not unique to telecoms. Many businesses adopt AI tools one at a time: a chatbot on the website, an AI writing assistant for staff, automated fraud scoring or call summarisation. Each feels small, but together they can touch customer data, make decisions that affect people, and create new security risks.

Without governance, common problems include:

• Staff pasting customer or financial data into public AI tools without approval.
• No clear owner when an AI system gives a wrong or harmful answer to a customer.
• AI tools connected to email, files or payment systems with more access than they need.
• Customers not knowing they are talking to a machine, which damages trust when it goes wrong.

Nigeria’s data protection rules already apply to personal data processed by AI systems, so poor oversight is a compliance risk as well as a reputational one.

A simple AI governance starter for organisations

Governance does not have to mean a thick policy manual. Smaller organisations can start with a handful of practical steps:

1. List your AI tools. Write down every AI system in use, who uses it, and what data it can see.
2. Assign an owner. Make one named person responsible for each tool, including what happens when it fails.
3. Set data rules. Decide which information staff may never share with AI tools, such as BVNs, NINs, card details, passwords and customer records.
4. Keep a human in the loop. Require human review for decisions that affect customers’ money, accounts or rights.
5. Tell customers. Label chatbots and automated services clearly, and give people an easy way to reach a person.
6. Review regularly. Revisit the list every quarter as tools and regulations change.

What you should do

• Businesses: take an inventory of the AI tools your staff use this month and set basic data-sharing rules before adding more.
• Telecom and internet licensees: watch for the NCC’s forthcoming guidance under the Internet Code of Practice 2026 and take part in its consultations.
• Consumers: when a chatbot or automated line handles your account, never share one-time passwords or PINs, and ask to speak to a human for anything involving money or SIM changes.

The survey shows an industry willing to engage. The next step is turning that willingness into clear, practical rules before AI problems turn into customer harm.

Sources

• AI adoption is outpacing governance in Nigeria’s telecom sector, NCC survey shows – BusinessDay
• The Nigeria Brief, Thursday 15 October 2026

Featured image: Photo: “Telecom Tower” by Steve Parker, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse — source