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Episode 5 · Nov 15, 2026

The Godfather of Nigeria's Internet - Dr. Ernest Ndukwe

In 2000, Nigeria had no GSM network and about 150,000 fixed lines from NITEL. Ten years later, it had 80 million phone lines and four major mobile networks. We sat down with the regulator who oversaw that boom, the Godfather of Nigerian Telecoms and Internet, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe.

Ernest Ndukwe · Telecoms

The Godfather of Nigeria's Internet - Dr. Ernest Ndukwe

In the year 2001, the first GSM call in Nigeria was made by Strive Masiyiwa, the chairman of Econet Wireless.

The receiver of that call was Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, the regulator at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

With the words "We're live!" Nigeria ushered in a new era of telecoms and internet revolution.

In this episode of Africa Built, we sat down with the godfather of Nigerian telecoms and internet, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, to discuss his background, tenure as the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the $285 million mobile licensing auction process, his legacy of overseeing the growth of telecoms in Nigeria from 150,000 lines to 80 million lines by the time he left, becoming the chairman of MTN Nigeria, and many more.

Watch here below or on YouTube.

Chapters

00:00Introduction
00:45A railway childhood and the choice of RCN
07:10Satellite training at Harris Corporation in Florida
11:03GEC Telecommunications and the contest for NITEL contracts
16:42From operator to regulator
20:48Decree 75, the first NCC and the early licences
25:34The call in 2000
34:38The 2001 digital mobile licence auction
41:26Ten years at the NCC
50:28His legacy
53:12Lagos Business School and life after the NCC
58:22SystemSpecs, board seats and the cool-off period
61:35Chairing MTN Nigeria
66:35Generative AI
68:46Closing

Trivia

CIL, the company that also won a licence at the auction and then lost it, was backed by Nigerian billionaire Mike Adenuga. He would later win the Second National Operator licence to launch Globacom and introduce per-second billing into the country.

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