ntel CEO Remains Bullish About Nigeria Market Comeback to Fill Innovation Gaps
Mr. Soji Maurice-Diya, Chief Executive Officer of NatCom Development &Investment Limited (trading as ntel), says the company remains bullish about its market comeback in Q1 2026,
unveiling a renewed strategy to fill what he describes as “innovation gaps” in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem.
Speaking during the Technology Times Thought Leadership Series, a quarterly platform powered by Digital
Transformation Media Limited (DTML), publishers of Technology Times and eGovernance Nigeria Magazine, the ntel CEOshared his company’s renewed vision to re-enter Nigeria’s highly competitive telecoms market through an
infrastructure-light model anchored on innovation, broadband inclusion, and youth-focused digital engagement.
“We think that there’s a lot of innovation that’s yet to happen in this space,” Maurice-Diya said. “With all due respectto our partners and competitors in the ecosystem, we don’t think there’s been nearly enough innovation in the last
few years.”
According to him, ntel’s return will not seek to replicate existing market models, but to target niche segments ofNigerian consumers through products that deliver distinctive value propositions.
“For us to go and play in the 100 million subscriber game, that’s not what we’re about,” he stated. “We’re about to
find a very small subset of subscribers, and serve them extremely well.
We think the future will kind of take care ofitself if we’re able to do that very well.”
Reimagining the Role of Telecoms in Nigeria
Maurice-Diya said ntel’s return reflects a broader belief that the Nigerian telecoms industry still holds enormousuntapped potential for innovation and cross-sector value creation.
He noted that while the industry has matured over the last 25 years—becoming a key enabler of Nigeria’seconomy—fresh ideas are still required to drive its next phase of evolution.
“Most of us are aware that the telecoms industry in Nigeria, as we know it today, started almost 25 years ago,” hesaid.
“It has witnessed significant and impactful growth, particularly in supporting Nigeria’s broader commercial
ecosystem. Over the last 25 years, one would argue that the sector has become a mature market and there’s a lot that we think will also further broaden and deepen connectivity and improve telecommunication services across thecountry.”
Balancing Regulation and Innovation
Maurice-Diya called for a regulatory environment that allows innovation to flourish before being constrained by
over-regulation.
“A lot of times regulation comes on the back of innovation,” he noted. “The government should continue to allow for
innovation first, and then regulate on the back-end because you can’t regulate everything. When you over-regulate,
you stifle innovation.”
He cited global experiences such as cryptocurrency to illustrate how measured regulatory approaches can support
innovation without compromising stability.
“You start by allowing innovation to happen, and as long as you keep your pulse on what’s going on, I think you’ll findthat there are actually opportunities,” he added.
Local Content and Industry Sustainability
The ntel CEO also underscored the importance of local content development in strengthening Nigeria’s digital
economy. He said the sustainability of the telecoms industry will depend on the country’s ability to localise
technology, infrastructure, and talent.
“The sustainability of the industry is predicated on the ability to localise as much as possible,” Maurice-Diya said. “In the early days it was understandable that a lot of our capacity was built from outside of the country, but over time
there’s now opportunities to start to localise those things.”
He acknowledged ongoing government efforts through initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT)
programme aimed at deepening local capacity, adding that “the industry is headed in the right direction.”
“External influences can be expensive and sometimes not necessarily committed to the long-term growth of the
industry,” he warned. “The policies have to just continue to support it.”
Enabling Long-Term Investment and Growth.
According to Maurice-Diya, sustaining investor confidence will require continued macroeconomic stability, particularly around foreign exchange, tax policy, and capital repatriation of Nigerians and strengthen collaboration across the telecoms value chain.
We’ve also played a role in being a partner to the rest of the ecosystem, supporting everybody else to make surethat the industry continues to be sustainable,” he said.
Creating a Level Playing Field
On the broader telecoms market environment, the ntel boss stressed the importance of a fair and competitiveecosystem that encourages participation by new entrants.
“The first thing is a fair playing ground for all players,” Maurice-Diya said. “The ecosystem has to be able to see that
there aren’t any preferential treatments being handed out to different players. The market is big enough to sustain amultiplicity of players, and we hope to be able to play in that role.”
He encouraged continued market liberalisation and pro-innovation regulation, which he believes will be critical to maintaining Nigeria’s regional and global competitiveness over the next decade.
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