Banks and telecommunications operators in Nigeria have been given a March 1, 2026, deadline to fully implement a new refund framework aimed at resolving persistent consumer complaints over failed airtime and data transactions.

The deadline follows the conclusion of a joint framework developed by the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria to address cases where subscribers are debited for airtime or data purchases without receiving value, due to network downtime, system glitches, or human input errors.

According to a statement on Thursday signed by the Head of Public Affairs, NCC, Nnenna Ukoha, the framework is the outcome of several months of engagement involving the NCC, the CBN, mobile network operators, value-added service providers, deposit money banks, and other relevant stakeholders.

The discussions were prompted by a growing volume of complaints from consumers reporting failed airtime and data purchases, debits without service delivery, and prolonged delays in obtaining refunds.

The Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. According to her, the dashboard will enable both regulators to monitor failures, identify the responsible party, track refunds, and monitor SLA breaches in real time.

“Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve them within the shortest possible time,” she said.

The new rule represents a unified position by both the telecommunications and financial sectors on how such complaints should be handled. It identifies and addresses the root causes of failed airtime and data transactions, including instances where bank accounts are debited without successful delivery of services, and establishes clear accountability across the transaction value chain.

Under the new rules, where a purchaser is debited but fails to receive airtime or data, whether the failure occurs at the bank level or with an NCC licensee, the purchaser will be entitled to a refund within 30 seconds. In situations where a transaction remains pending, the framework allows for a resolution window of up to 24 hours before a refund is completed.

“We are grateful to all stakeholders, particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria and its leadership, for their tireless commitment to resolving this issue and arriving at this framework, and for ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services receive full value for their purchases.

“So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over N10bn to customers for failed transactions,” the director said.

The framework also introduces an enforceable Service Level Agreement for MNOs and DMBs, clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder involved in airtime and data transactions and the resolution process. Regulators say the SLA is intended to eliminate delays, close responsibility gaps, and ensure that consumers receive timely redress.

Bruce-Bennett further noted that implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once the two regulators have made final approvals and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers, and DMBs is concluded.

In addition, banks and telecom operators will be required to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every airtime and data transaction. The framework further addresses issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and instances where transactions are made to the wrong phone number.