The 2025 edition of the West Africa Telecommunications Infrastructure Summit & Exhibition (WATISE) has ended in Lagos with a strong call for governments, regulators, and industry players to deepen collaboration, protect telecom infrastructure, and prioritise inclusive digital access across the region.
The event brought together critical stakeholders from the telecommunications, technology and financial services sectors under the theme “Digitalising West African Economy: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities for Critical Stakeholders.”
dressing the Telecoms Summit, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, said that the telecom sector in West Africa was witnessing renewed growth, with investments at their highest since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that telecoms remain the backbone of the digital economy, enabling banking, fintech, telemedicine, education, commerce, and emergency services across the region.
Adebayo, however, warned against vandalism, multiple taxation and Right of Way restrictions that continue to stifle expansion.
He commended the Nigerian Government’s ongoing tax reforms, set to reduce over 56 levies by January 2026 and urged states across West Africa to create enabling conditions for faster digital rollout.
In his goodwill message, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Tony Emoekpere, said that the next 10 years would define West Africa’s place in the global digital economy, adding: “If we build the infrastructure, harmonize policies and encourage collaboration, we will unlock unprecedented economic growth, create millions of jobs, and give our young population the tools to compete globally.”
He noted that investors must recognize that while risks exist, the upside of digital West Africa is unmatched, saying that this is a frontier market with the potential of doubling its digital economy contribution to GDP within a decade.
According to the report distributed by African Media Agency, the participants, at the close of the summit, called for the protection of telecom infrastructure against vandalism, harmonised and enabling policies across ECOWAS states, urgent steps to reduce the cost of USSD and digital transactions and greater investment in the workforce training and digital security and regional collaboration to unlock West Africa’s trillion-dollar digital economy potential.
GIK/APA