*Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, and panelist at the 2026 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Leaders’ TalkX on building secure, trusted, and resilient Digital Public Infrastructure, highlights three key factors that strengthen trust in identity, networks, markets, accountability, and ‘reduce fraud’ in the emerging Nigeria Digital Economy
Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect
As modern life increasingly becomes more digital than ever before, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has highlighted key factors for building secure and resilient Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a veritable foundation for the emerging Nigeria Digital Economy.
ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, stated this in his contribution to a panel discussion at the 2026 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum Leaders’ TalkX on building secure, resilient, and trusted Digital Public Infrastructure, held July 6-10, 2026, at the ITU Headquarters and Palexpo, in Geneva, Switzerland.
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The World Summit on the Information Society Forum serves as the central multistakeholder convening platform, mandated to advance the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines and support global digital cooperation, stated the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on its corporate Web site.
Anchored in the renewed United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) mandate, the ITU noted the WSIS Forum, being co-hosted by the ITU and Switzerland, attracts governments, the private sector, civil society organisations, technical communities, academia, youth, and international organisations in a uniquely inclusive environment for dialogue, collaboration, and action worldwide.
Emphasising the strategic importance of securing the very foundations of a trusted, resilient digital economy, Dr. Maida said: “As our lives become increasingly digital, the mobile phone number is no longer just a way to make calls.
“It has become the key to banking, government services, healthcare, education, commerce, and many of the digital services we rely on every day.”
The Executive Vice-Chairman of the telecoms sector regulatory Commission, in a message shared via his verified social media account at the close of the event Friday, July 10 this year, also affirmed that his panel contribution to the global discussion focused on secure and trusted DPI in the country’s economy.
He noted: “That was the focus of my contribution during the WSIS 2026 Leaders’ TalkX on building a secure and trusted Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), where I shared Nigeria’s approach to safeguarding one of the foundations of our digital economy: the mobile phone number.”
Nigeria’s approach to secure resilient digital economy, by Maida
Offering insight into the country’s approach to building trusted and secure, and resilient Nigeria Digital Economy, Maida stressed that “our approach is centred on one principle: trust.”
He told the global leaders that first, “trust in identity”, stating through the NCC TIRMS platform, authorised institutions could securely verify who is behind every phone number.
According to him, this process helps to strengthen accountability and reduce fraud in the digital ecosystem.
The EVC/CEO of the Commission noted the second is “trust in networks”.
Maida explained that through the Commission’s extant “Communications Sector Cyber Resilience Framework” and the implementation of the Presidential Order on the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), the Nigerian Government, industry, and other stakeholders are working together to strengthen the resilience of communications infrastructure in the West African country.
On affordable services and boosting consumer confidence
In respect of the significance of affordable digital services to raising consumer confidence, the NCC Chief disclosed that he equally addressed the issue of “trust in markets”, involving subscribers.
He emphasised that digital consumers need “reliable, affordable services and effective redress, while investors need transparent, predictable and consistent regulation” that would give them confidence to invest in Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure.
Maida added: “Ultimately, resilient Digital Public Infrastructure depends on three things: trusted identities, trusted networks and trusted markets.”
Core objectives of WSIS Forum 2026, by ITU
The ITU said the WSIS Forum 2026, held in Geneva, and hosted at ITU Headquarters from 6–7 July and at Palexpo from 8–10 July this year was the first Forum convened after the WSIS+20 UNGA review.
The Union noted the Forum played a vital role in supporting Member States as they began implementing commitments set out in the December resolution.
The 2026 edition also featured an expanded High-Level Track, strengthened ministerial participation, the WSIS Prizes 2026, thematic exhibitions, and a programme shaped through the Open Consultation Process.
The WSIS Forum has established itself as a global hub for innovation, emerging trends, and forward-looking discussions. Each year, it showcases new developments in artificial intelligence, frontier connectivity, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, and multilingual digital ecosystems.
Likewise, it provides a structured space to examine emerging risks, such as online safety challenges, misinformation, data governance concerns, and widening digital divides — enabling multistakeholder responses to evolving digital realities.
In regard to the strategic importance of the event, the global telecoms body noted that as part of the WSIS+20 review process, the United Nations General Assembly recognised the central role of the WSIS Forum as a “global platform for advancing the WSIS vision”.
Global partnerships on advancing WSIS vision
Through resolution A/RES/80/173, the General Assembly acknowledged the work of ITU, in collaboration with UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP, in establishing the annual WSIS Forum.
“The Forum remains the principal mechanism for reviewing, gathering multistakeholder input and advancing the WSIS Action Lines, including their annual roadmaps. International Telecommunication Union leads the coordination of the Event and it is co organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD, in partnership with more than fifty United Nations entities, ensuring a coherent system wide approach to the follow up of the WSIS outcomes,” stated the ITU.
It further disclosed that a defining component of the WSIS Forum is its High Level Track, which convenes ministers, regulators, chief executives, civil society heads, mayors, ambassadors and heads of UN agencies across the world.
The ministerial roundtables, it stated, provide an opportunity for Member States to articulate national digital priorities, exchange policy experiences, and identify areas for collective action, reinforcing the Forum’s role as the interface between policy level commitments and operational implementation.