Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Idris Olorunnimbe says he would seek presidential incentives for investors ready to build smartphone factories in Nigeria.
Olorunnimbe made the pledge in a statement on Saturday, following his remarks at the Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai on June 24. He had earlier called for stronger private-sector participation in Nigeria’s digital economy and manufacturing ecosystem at the summit.
He said attracting local smartphone manufacturing would help reduce the cost of devices and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Olorunnimbe added that local manufacturing would also help expand digital inclusion by making quality smartphones more affordable and accessible to ordinary Nigerians, especially young people, students and small business owners.
According to him, the initiative will also deepen Nigeria’s industrial base, strengthen local value chains, stimulate ancillary businesses and reduce the country’s heavy dependence on imported devices. The NCC board chairman noted that heavy dependence on imported devices currently exposed consumers to high prices and supply disruptions.
He said manufacturers that commit to starting factory construction before November would receive government support to facilitate their investments, adding that the NCC was prepared to help connect serious investors with the right policy and regulatory backing.
“If any manufacturer in this room, or any manufacturer listening to these proceedings will commit to building a factory in Nigeria, and to beginning construction between now and November, I will take that commitment to the President myself and seek the waivers and the support you need to make it happen.”
He said local manufacturing remained the most sustainable solution to Nigeria’s smartphone affordability challenge, noting that the country could no longer rely solely on imported devices, if it wanted to close its digital access gap.
Olorunnimbe explained that producing devices locally would reduce exposure to foreign exchange volatility because a greater share of production costs would be denominated in naira rather than in foreign currencies, which often drove up retail prices when exchange rates fluctuate.
According to him, this will help stabilise smartphone prices over time, improve predictability for consumers and make devices more accessible to millions of Nigerians who are currently priced out of the market.
He added that the policy could also position Nigeria as a regional hub for device assembly and technology manufacturing, while creating opportunities for engineers, technicians, logistics providers, component suppliers, retailers and other small businesses across the supply chain.
He acknowledged that previous attempts at local smartphone production struggled because of poor product quality, weak after-sales support and limited consumer confidence, which made many Nigerians continue to prefer imported brands.
“The aim is to build phones in Nigeria that match the imported phones on quality and beat them on price. A locally made device that asks Nigerians to settle for less is not worth making,” he said.
The NCC chairman said Nigeria had more than 170 million mobile connections and over 150 million mobile internet users, describing the figures as evidence of the country’s huge market potential for device manufacturers.
He, however, said smartphone affordability remained the biggest obstacle preventing many Nigerians from participating fully in the digital economy, especially in areas such as online learning, mobile banking, e-commerce, digital work and access to government services.
