Global Recognition for Nigeria as NCC Digital Awareness Programme Wins WSIS Award
Geneva, Switzerland — Nigeria’s drive toward inclusive digital development gained global recognition on Monday as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) won a major prize at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Awards held in Geneva.
The NCC’s flagship Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) emerged winner in Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge, clinching the top honour after securing the highest number of votes among competing projects from around the world.
Receiving the award, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, described the achievement as both a validation of past efforts and a renewed call to deepen Nigeria’s digital inclusion agenda.
“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts; it is an encouragement to press forward. It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage,” Maida said.
Launched in 2006, the Digital Awareness Programme is aimed at strengthening digital education in secondary schools through the provision of information and communication technology (ICT) resources and internet connectivity to support teaching, learning and research. To date, over 300 secondary schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones have benefited from the initiative.
Maida also commended the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the WSIS platform for recognising Nigeria’s progress in expanding access to information and knowledge, noting that the award would further inspire the commission to scale up its digital inclusion initiatives.
Beyond the DAP victory, Nigeria recorded additional global visibility at the WSIS Awards, with four other local initiatives nominated in the WSIS Champions Category. These include Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions under Capacity Building; the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment; and the Digital Learning Initiative under E-Learning.
The multiple recognitions underscore Nigeria’s growing footprint in global digital development and reinforce the country’s commitment to widening access to information, knowledge and digital opportunities across diverse communities.
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