BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has been announced as a Distinguished Special Guest at the 2026 edition of the Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards.
Now in its 17th year, the Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards is recognised as one of the leading yearly gatherings in Nigeria’s ICT sector.
According to the Editor-in-Chief of Nigeria Communications Week, Ken Nwogbo, whose organisation is responsible for hosting the programme, this year’s theme focuses on digital innovation and transformation. The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Four Points by Sheraton Lagos.
The Africa Beacon of ICT Lecture aims to highlight initiatives geared toward positioning Nigeria prominently within the global technology landscape. The occasion will also honour institutions and personalities in the ICT and banking sectors whose contributions have strengthened the nation’s digital economy.
As head of the NCC, Dr. Maida supervises the regulation, advancement, and long-term planning of Nigeria’s telecom industry. He has championed programmes targeted at improving customer satisfaction, expanding telecommunications infrastructure, and building partnerships aimed at safeguarding citizens against electronic financial crimes.
He earned a doctorate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.
Before joining the NCC, Dr. Maida worked as Executive Director of Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS). During his time there, he coordinated the technical and operational harmonisation of devices utilised within Nigeria’s financial ecosystem to ensure seamless compatibility.
He also supervised a professional team responsible for ensuring that payment terminals and electronic devices across the country could process cards issued by all banks and authorised card providers without restriction.
Earlier in his career, Maida served as Chief Technical Officer at Arca Payments Network and later held a senior management role at Cisco Systems in the United Kingdom.
With more than 15 years of broad international expertise spanning fintech, telecommunications, and enterprise technology, Dr. Maida also worked between 2010 and 2014 as a Network Design Consultant at EE, a subsidiary of BT Group and one of the UK’s major mobile network operators.
Between 2006 and 2010, he was employed as a Systems Engineer at Ubiquisys, a company known for intelligent 3G and LTE small-cell solutions that later became part of Cisco.
Dr. Maida will be joining an impressive list of distinguished personalities who have previously attended the programme, including former NCC Executive Vice-Chairman Dr. Ernest Ndukwe; former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa; CEO of OR System France and counterparty risk expert, Dr. Jean Luc Fort; as well as Chairman of Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom, Professor Chris Nwagboso.
