Internet: NCC advocates accelerated adoption of IPv6 for digital sovereignty, competitiveness

*Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, at the inauguration of Nigeria IPv6 Council, in Lagos, declares the country’s adoption of IPv6 is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security, and economic sovereignty

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

As the West African country intensifies efforts at leading lead in the next phase of the global Internet, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has inaugurated the Nigeria IPv6 Council.

ConsumerConnect reports the NCC emphasised the need for coordinated and accelerated adoption of IPv6 in order to strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty, competitiveness and national security.

What about IPv6?

The Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) is the latest version of the Internet protocol.

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The protocol is used to identify and connect devices on the Internet, and it is designed to address the limitations and exhaustion challenges of the earlier Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4).

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Commission, noted this Thursday, April 23, 2026, in his address at the inauguration of the Nigeria IPv6 Council in Lagos.

Underlining the strategic importance of the development, Maida described the move as a defining moment in Nigeria’s digital evolution and readiness to champion the next phase of the global Internet ecosystem.

The EVC/CEO of the telecoms sector regulatory Commission also averred that Nigeria’s IPv6 adoption has remained at about five percent, far below the global average of over 40 percent.

He asserted that Nigeria must act decisively to close the gap.

Adoption of IPv6 now a necessity, says EVC/CEO

NCC Executive Vice-Chairman Maida further noted the exhaustion of IPv4 resources, combined with the rapid expansion of 5G networks, Internet of Things (IoTs), cloud services and Artificial Intelligence-driven applications has pushed legacy Internet infrastructure to its limits as of now.

He said: “In this context, IPv6 is not optional; it is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security and economic sovereignty.”

The Chief Executive of the Commission further explained that the transition required the coordinated efforts of industry regulators, telecoms operators, enterprises, the academia, and government institutions.

According to him, no single stakeholder could drive the process alone.

The Commission has been preparing for the.             transition through deliberate policies and partnerships, stated Maida.

The NCC Chief disclosed such partnerships include its collaboration with the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), which has supported capacity-building programmes across public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy.

On core mandate of IPv6 Council

Dr. Maida said the newly-inaugurated Nigeria IPv6 Council would drive alignment with a National IPv6 Deployment Strategy.

He explained the framework outlines clear, time-bound targets, including raising Nigeria’s adoption level to rank among Africa’s leading countries within the next three years.

Among other major priorities of the Council, the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC noted include establishing a monitoring and reporting framework with quarterly updates and an annual national report.

He said other priorities include driving capacity building and certification of IPv6 engineers, and promoting public sector leadership through migration of government platforms to IPv6-enabled systems.

Other responsibilities of the Council include engaging industry players, such as Internet service providers, data centres, content providers and financial institutions to remove deployment barriers.

According to him, advising on policy incentives and regulatory frameworks to accelerate adoption are also responsibilities.

Uwaje: IPv6 a shift in mindset for innovation, capacity development

In his remarks on the occasion, Mr. Chris Uwaje, a technology and software development expert, said Nigeria must move beyond reliance on legacy systems and embrace modern Internet infrastructure to strengthen its digital sovereignty.

Uwaje emphasised that Nigeria’s adoption of IPv6 would require not just technical upgrades, but a national shift in mindset toward innovation, local capacity development and infrastructure investment in the country’s digital space.

Nigeria to train 50 professionals in IPv6 by October, says Rudman, IXPN CEO

Speaking at the event also, Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), said the continued availability of IPv4 remained a major constraint, as many operators saw no immediate urgency to migrate.

Rudman explained that while Nigeria has over 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and more than 100 networks with IPv6 allocations, only a limited number were actively deploying and assigning IPv6 addresses to consumers in the country’s digital ecosystem.

The CEO of IXPN also said: “In simple terms, many operators have IPv6 capability, but it is not yet deployed in a meaningful way.”

According to him, reliance on Network Address Translation (NAT) under IPv4 has allowed multiple users to share limited IP addresses, but created challenges in security, traceability and performance.

He added that the council had developed a National IPv6 Implementation Strategy with clear targets, including achieving at least 20 percent IPv6 compliance in government networks by 2027, 25 percent active deployment among telecoms operators, and about 30 percent nationwide adoption by 2030.

The Council, Rudman stated, also plans to intensify capacity building, with a target to train at least 50 professionals in IPv6 by October through structured programmes and partnerships with academic institutions and regional bodies.

He further stated that funding and skills gaps have remained challenges, especially as many trained engineers have migrated abroad, making continuous training essential.

The implementation roadmap will begin with awareness campaigns and training, in 2026, followed by policy integration and accelerated deployment through 2027, leading to broader national adoption by 2030, Rudman said.

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