NITRA-ALTON CNII & sustainability conference gets new date in August

With the approval of Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator, the much-anticipated Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) & Sustainability Conference 2025 has been rescheduled to August 7, 2025, in Lagos.

The forum, initially slated for July 30, 2025, was postponed to accommodate a broader industry engagement convened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The event aims to deepen conversation around the recent designation of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), a status that positions it as a protected national asset.

Jointly organised by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) and the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the conference also enjoys the support of other key industry bodies, including the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

Themed “Industry Sustainability and CNII Conference 2025 – Way Forward”, the event will take place at CitiHeight Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. It will convene telecom operators, policymakers, technology journalists, regulators, and other stakeholders to discuss actionable steps for safeguarding Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure and ensuring sustainable industry growth.

The backdrop for the conference is the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order, 2024, signed into law in August 2024. Despite its passage, industry insiders argue that the law’s full impact is yet to be felt.

In a statement announcing the rescheduled forum, NITRA emphasised that merely declaring telecom infrastructure as critical cannot ensure its protection.

The group highlighted the need for internal harmonisation, standardisation among operators, and more active stakeholder engagement.

“This conference is not just another industry talk shop,” the organisers stated. “It is a practical platform to interrogate the gaps between policy and implementation, and to address the unresolved questions regarding how to truly secure and sustain the telecom infrastructure that powers Nigeria’s digital economy.”

The organisers noted that without operational clarity and cross-sector collaboration, the CNII declaration risks remaining symbolic rather than transformative.

The August 7 event promises to be a landmark gathering, aiming to catalyse real progress on telecom security, sustainability, and policy execution in Nigeria’s fast-evolving digital landscape.

According to the organisers, questions that stakeholders will provide answers to at the event include:

How do we ensure that this law is implemented to the letter?
Are there areas worth looking into once more, or is the Act perfect as it is?
What are the roles of each stakeholder in the industry – Federal, States, Operators, Consumers, and other actors?
Are individual telecom companies and service providers keying into the CNII provisions, and how?
What are the roles of regulators in ensuring public compliance with the Act?
How do we ensure security?
What is the place of collaboration?
Publicity: how much of the CNII provisions are the public aware of?
How can we sustain the growth and development of telecommunications in Nigeria?

The Panel Discussion sessions will look into some of the questions arising from industry sustainability and CNII implementation.

Expected at the event are the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, network operators, security agencies, regulators, the media, infrastructure companies and decision makers in private and public firms, among other guests.

According to a statement from NITRA, “It is a known fact that the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is crucial to the survivability of a nation, and that the destruction or disruption of these systems and communication networks would significantly affect the economic strength, image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety.”

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, in a forum, stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and tech-upgraded installation to prevent vandalism and theft.

Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, spoke of the importance of the Industry Sustainability and CNII Conference, noting that industry stakeholders need to come around a table to broker an understanding on how to secure telecom infrastructure, standing on the FG’s proclamation of CNII.

He noted that with the CNII Act in place, stakeholders will have to formulate implementation measures on the provisions of the Act and enforce compliance. These, he disclosed, will be the outcome of the forum to be held in Lagos.