Key stakeholders in the country’s telecommunications industry, including regulators and law enforcement agencies, have all agreed to develop a multi-stakeholder action plan for the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) assets in Lagos State.

Senior representatives from the telecommunications stakeholder groups and regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) were present at the parley.

Others are the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and InfraCos as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

All affirmed that there was a need to establish a working group dedicated to addressing key industry challenges, including the vandalisation and theft of telecommunications infrastructure, arbitrary shutdown of base stations, fiber cuts due to road construction and the denial of access by unauthorised individuals by leveraging technology for real-time monitoring and protection.

They also stressed the need to strengthen security measures around telecommunication sites and collaborate more with the security and regulatory agencies to mitigate these challenges.

IHS Nigeria, part of the IHSHolding Limited (NYSE: IHS) (“IHS Towers”) group, one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, hosted the high-level meeting of stakeholders in the telecommunications industry including regulators and law enforcement agencies, at its corporate headquarters in Lagos.

The meeting was organised to develop a multi-stakeholder action plan for the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) assets in Lagos state.

Recognising the importance of communications infrastructure as the backbone of national security, economic growth and social cohesion, the stakeholders at the meeting convened under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) agreed on the urgent need for collaborative solutions to ensure the protection of these vital assets.

The stakeholders underscored the need to prioritise deterrence and prevention of these incidents and highlighted the importance of public awareness campaigns to sensitise the host communities and public of the need to protect telecommunications infrastructure in their localities.

Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Services Officer of IHS Nigeria, Dapo Otunla said: “The protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) has been a critical concern for all industry stakeholders.

“We are experiencing daily losses of assets, which significantly impact on the quality of service delivered to subscribers.

“Addressing these issues is paramount to sustaining Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and meeting regulatory expectations.”