Keynote
Dr Aminu Maida
Executive Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission
RuralConnect 2.0
THEME: Rural Inclusion at Scale: Connecting the Next 25 Million Users for Frontier Market Growth
Nigeria's digital future depends on reaching the communities still left at the edge of connectivity. RuralConnect brings together government, regulators, telecom operators, infrastructure providers, investors, development organisations and communities to build practical pathways for extending meaningful connectivity across underserved Nigeria.
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- Date
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026
- Time
- 9:30 AM WAT
- Venue
- Providence Hotel, 323 Oba Akinjobi Way, G.R.A Ikeja, Lagos
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Connecting communities. Expanding opportunity.
We convene the people and institutions shaping Nigeria’s connectivity landscape to identify barriers, share solutions, mobilise investment and build partnerships that can take digital access deeper into underserved communities.
From rural broadband and mobile coverage to infrastructure sharing, power, affordability, digital services and frontier markets, RuralConnect focuses on the issues that determine whether communities can participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
Rural Connectivity
Summit 2.0
Second edition
13 October 2026
Providence Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos
Rural Inclusion at Scale: connecting the next 25 million users for frontier market growth.
The second edition comes at a critical moment for Nigeria's digital transformation. With government, regulators and industry increasingly focused on extending connectivity beyond urban centres, RuralConnect 2.0 will examine what it will take to move from connectivity ambitions to measurable impact.
Confirmed speaker
Prof. Ibrahim A. Adeyanju
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Galaxy Backbone Limited
Confirmed speaker
Dr. Abba Aliyu
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Agency
Confirmed speaker
Engr. Jane Egerton-Idehen
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat)
Confirmed speaker
Dr Olusola Teniola
Chairman, Advisory Council of Nigeria AI Governance Forum
Confirmed speaker
Dr. Ayotunde Coker
Chief Executive Officer, Open Access Data Centre (OADC)
Confirmed speaker
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo
National Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)
Confirmed speaker
Soji Maurice-Diya
Chief Executive Officer, NatCom Development & Investment Limited (ntel)
Confirmed speaker
Tony Emoekpere
President, Association Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON)
Confirmed speaker
Chidi Princewill Ajuzie
Group Chief Operating Officer, WTES Projects Limited
Confirmed speaker
Dr. Tola Yusuf
Co-Founder, Infratel Africa
Confirmed speaker
Engr. Morenikeji Aniye
Founder/CEO, Hotspot Network Limited
Confirmed speaker
Jonas Enebeli
Head - Enterprise Connectivity, Fieldbase Services Limited
Confirmed speaker
Obinna Adumike
Head, Converged Digital Infrastructure for Africa, Open Access Data Centre (OADC)
Confirmed speaker
Tinuade Oguntuyi
General Manager, Technical, Information Connectivity Solutions Limited
Confirmed speaker
John Nwachukwu
Chief Strategy & Executive Officer (CSEO), Zora Communications Limited
Confirmed speaker
Shamsuddin Ahmed
Associate Director, Technical Sales & Solutions Architecture, Global Independent Connect Limited (GICL)
Confirmed speaker
Rotimi Akinnuoye
Senior Specialist, Network Operations, Global Independent Connect Limited (GICL)
further speakers to be announced
Explore the 2026 summit →- Policy dialogue
- Investment opportunities
- Innovative solutions
- Strategic partnerships
- Frontier market growth
The next wave of Nigeria's digital economy is rural.
Millions of Nigerians remain disconnected or underserved. For businesses, this represents an untapped market. For government, it represents an inclusion challenge. For communities, connectivity increasingly determines access to education, healthcare, finance, markets, public services and economic opportunity.
Policy
Driving conversations around policies that enable sustainable rural connectivity.
Infrastructure
Exploring innovative approaches to towers, fibre, broadband, power and shared infrastructure.
Investment
Connecting capital with underserved markets and viable connectivity opportunities.
Inclusion
Putting communities and meaningful digital participation at the centre of the conversation.
Collaboration
Working together as a coalition to deliver holistic digital inclusion.
Building the coalition to connect Nigeria
No single institution can close Nigeria's connectivity gap.
Government & Regulators
Federal and state institutions shaping digital inclusion policy.
Telecom & Technology Companies
Operators, infrastructure providers and technology companies deploying connectivity.
Investors & Financial Institutions
Capital providers supporting sustainable infrastructure and frontier-market opportunities.
Development Partners
Organisations supporting inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
Communities & Civil Society
Voices representing the people connectivity is ultimately designed to serve.
From coverage to meaningful connectivity
The question is no longer simply where there is a network. It is whether people can afford to connect, whether the infrastructure is reliable, whether digital services are available and whether connectivity creates meaningful economic and social opportunities.
RuralConnect puts these questions at the centre of Nigeria's digital inclusion conversation.
Partners powering rural inclusion
Become part of the movement to connect the next 25 million. RuralConnect welcomes organisations seeking to contribute across six tracks.
- Strategic Partners
- Sponsors
- Exhibitors
- Speakers
- Technology Partners
- Development Partners
Convened with
– Insights & researchNew
New
Insight
Ideas, evidence and perspectives shaping Nigeria’s connectivity future — research, case studies and expert analysis from the coalition.
View more ↗
Lead analysis
Nigeria’s 140m Connectivity Paradox – Covered by Mobile Networks, Still Offline
View more ↗
Frontier markets
Stakeholders to Examine Why Over 23m Nigerians Remain Offline at RuralConnect 2.0
View more ↗Infrastructure
Infrastructure For Inclusion: Making Rural Networks Sustainable
View more ↗The next 25 million are waiting to be connected.
Government cannot do it alone. Industry cannot do it alone. Investors cannot do it alone. It will take a coalition.