Nigeria Risks Losing Voice in Global Internet Decisions, IXPN CEO Warns

Nigeria risks losing influence over decisions shaping Africa’s internet infrastructure as local technology companies and professionals remain insufficiently involved in regional and global internet governance, the Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Muhammed Rudman, has warned.

Rudman raised the concern at the Internet Governance 2026 Symposium, where he urged Nigerian internet service providers, businesses and technology professionals to take a more active role in organisations responsible for managing critical internet resources.

According to him, Nigeria is a significant holder of internet resources in Africa but is not contributing enough to the processes through which those resources are managed.

He identified the African Network Information Centre, AFRINIC, as one of the key platforms where Nigerian stakeholders need stronger representation, particularly in discussions concerning internet number resources.

Rudman also called for greater Nigerian participation in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, which coordinates the global domain-name system and other unique internet identifiers.

He warned that decisions taken within such organisations can affect internet policies, technical standards and the way digital resources are managed across countries.

The IXPN chief executive said the problem was not limited to technical experts, noting that many businesses also remain unaware of how internet governance decisions can affect their operations.

He cited a Nigerian Communications Commission survey which found that lack of awareness was identified as a major barrier to participation by respondents, while some organisations had never taken part in internet governance processes.

Rudman argued that Nigerian companies should move beyond attending technology conferences and become active participants in the institutions where decisions affecting the country’s digital ecosystem are made.

He said stronger participation would allow Nigerian stakeholders to understand policy changes before they take effect and give them an opportunity to influence decisions rather than simply responding after they have been made.