09 January 2024
The government of Nassarawa State, Nigeria, has approved the removal of right of way fees for the installation, installation, laying and maintenance of telecom network infrastructure in its territory.
The NCC had called on state governments in Nigeria to take necessary steps to reduce or even eliminate right of way fees for telecom operators to facilitate the deployment of robust digital infrastructure across the country. The current right of way fee in Nigeria is 145 naira per linear meter.
By 2023, Anambra and Katsina states had already removed right of way fees. In November 2022, Nigeria reduced rights of way fees for telecom infrastructure in its Federal Capital Territory by 90%.
The regulator estimates that the elimination of rights of way fees at the state level should accelerate the coverage of 75% of the national territory with optical fibre by 2027, as planned by the National Broadband Plan. Furthermore, Nigeria will still have to invest between US$1.5-2 billion to install the 60,000km necessary to ensure its complete optical fibre coverage.
