Nigeria’s telecommunications industry cut 383 jobs between 2023 and 2024 as operators struggled under surging operating expenses, shrinking subscriber numbers and persistent regulatory pressures, according to newly released Year-End Performance Reports from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The total workforce across licensed operators fell from 17,882 in 2023 to 17,499 in 2024, reflecting widespread downsizing across major market segments.
The workforce reduction came in a year when operators’ operating expenses spiked from N3.16 trillion in 2023 to N5.85 trillion in 2024—an 85.35 per cent increase.
The NCC attributed the surge to skyrocketing energy costs, inflation, foreign exchange instability and persistent multiple taxation by state and local authorities.
“Most licensees complained of high Right of Way (RoW) fees, harsh microeconomic operating environments and rising inflation,” the NCC noted in its report.
A breakdown of employment figures shows that GSM operators were the hardest hit, reducing staff strength from 7,212 to 6,658. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) also downsized, cutting their workforce from 5,589 to 5,473, while Value-Added Service (VAS) operators shed 100 jobs—from 813 to 713. Fixed-line operators, however, saw a slight workforce increase, rising from 268 to 272.
Two market segments recorded notable job gains. Collocation and infrastructure-sharing providers expanded from 1,574 workers to 1,751, while the “Others” category rose from 2,426 to 2,632. These gains, however, were not enough to offset the broader sector decline.
The job cuts coincided with a dramatic fall in active voice subscriptions following the enforcement of the National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage policy.
Active subscriptions dropped from 224.7 million in 2023 to 164.9 million in 2024—a decline of 26.61 per cent.
