(Ecofin Agency) - Nigeria's telecom industry has achieved a significant milestone with the complete transition to local production of all SIM cards, eliminating the need for imports, as announced by Babagana Digima of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) during a media executives' training session in Lagos.

The move follows Nigeria's ban on SIM card imports implemented in August 2022, aimed at promoting local content and indigenous participation in the sector. This achievement comes less than two years after the import ban was put in place, underscoring the government's commitment to boosting domestic manufacturing capabilities.

Lagos saw the inauguration of a SIM card manufacturing plant in June 2022, boasting an annual production capacity of 200 million cards. The NCC, in its regulatory role, continues to foster local telecom enterprises through initiatives like the Nigerian Office for the Development of Indigenous Telecommunications Sector (NORDIT).

"We are currently sponsoring the manufacture of Corrugated Ordinal Duct, which will be the first of its kind in Africa. We also encourage the local production of telecom towers and fibre cables. Coleman Cables, a local manufacturer, has surpassed the only other producer in Egypt in terms of capacity and is continuing to expand," said Mr. Digima.

As of March 31, Nigeria recorded 219.3 million telephone service subscribers, highlighting the sector's robust growth and the impact of local manufacturing initiatives.