The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that Nigeria has been able to locally produce over 100 million Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in the last year.

NCC’s Head of Financing and Stakeholders Engagement Team, Aderonke Sola-Ogunsola, made the disclosure at the 2023 AFRICANXT event on Thursday in Lagos.

She said this feat followed the federal government’s ban on SIM importation last year. According to her, the locally produced SIMs have been ordered by various telecommunications companies putting an end to the importation of SIM in Nigeria.

Speaking on the topic ‘Mandate and Strides Towards Full Digital Economy in Nigeria’, Sola-Ogunsola said that through the Nigeria Telecommunications Indigenous Content of the NCC, the country could serve as the SIM manufacturer hub for West Africa.

Following this development, the Commission said the country was working towards becoming a hub for the supply of SIM cards to other West African countries.

While noting that the Nigeria Telecommunications Indigenous Content policy was put in place to encourage innovation among the youths and promote the digital economy, Sola-Ogunsola said ‘’There is the need to ensure individuals, businesses, and the nation harness derivable benefits and the opportunities offered by the emergent digital culture, to improve quality of life, grow businesses, and leapfrog the national economy. This remains the overarching objective of government policies, plans, and strategies.”

Also speaking at the event, the Head of Digital Skills and Services at NCC, Freda Bruce-Bennett, said that Nigeria was rapidly becoming a digital economy. She noted that out of seven unicorns in Africa, Nigeria had five which were Andela, Flutterwave, Interswitch, Jumia and Opay.

The AFRICANXT event, formerly called Social Media Week, is an annual event held every February. This year’s theme is: ‘’Cooperate. Collaborate. Innovate. Unlocking Our Potential, Ensuring Africa’s Prosperity.”