The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have jointly launched a scheme that gives eligible learners daily free data to access approved educational platforms, effective from October 1, 2026. Under the arrangement, qualifying users receive up to 100 megabytes of free data each day for use exclusively on designated educational sites.
Over time, that adds up to roughly 700MB weekly, about 3GB monthly and as much as 36.5GB over a full year per learner. The initiative is part of a broader push to build digital skills across Nigeria and aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's goal of growing the economy to $1 trillion, according to NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida.
Industry Commitment and Funding
ALTON Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, said the telecoms and wider technology sector has committed almost N200 billion in financial and in-kind support to cover the pilot phase, which targets 5,000 learners. The figure accounts for the daily connectivity allocations, network capacity, devices, terminals and other contributions from industry partners, including original equipment manufacturers and tower companies.
Adebayo described the initiative as a multi-stakeholder partnership, with each party playing a distinct role. He said: "This is a partnership in the truest sense: Government provides the policy and educational framework; the regulator provides coordination and oversight; telecommunications operators provide connectivity and network resources; while OEMs, TowerCos and other technology partners contribute devices, terminals and other critical resources."
Impact on Learning and Digital Inclusion
Dr Maida said: "One hundred megabytes of data might sound a little, but when you look at it over a month and over a year, and cumulatively over the millions of learners and students that are going to access it, it's really a significant investment by the industry towards the future of this country." He added that better connectivity could narrow the gap in access to learning resources, linking students to teachers and study materials regardless of where they live in the country.
Adebayo urged other stakeholders to join the effort, noting that meaningful digital education requires more than data alone and must be backed by devices, relevant content, reliable infrastructure, digital literacy programmes and sustained funding. He said: "Investing in education is investing in Nigeria's future and the telecommunications industry is putting its resources behind that future."
Monitoring and Next Steps
ALTON said it would continue working alongside the government, the NCC, the Federal Ministry of Education and other partners to track whether the programme produces measurable improvements in learning outcomes. Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigerians consumed about 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026, highlighting the rapidly growing appetite for internet services across the country. The latest figure from the NCC represents an increase of almost 47% from the 1.13 million terabytes consumed in July 2025.
