Five Nigerians have been appointed to the United Nations Group on the Information Society’s Multistakeholder Consultation Group (UNGIS-MCG), a 92-member body established to strengthen stakeholder participation in global digital policy discussions.
The appointments, announced on the official UNGIS website, span the private sector, technical community and civil society, giving Nigerian representatives a role in discussions on information and communication technology (ICT) priorities at the global level.
The appointees are expected to serve for a minimum of two years, bringing perspectives from Nigeria’s technology industry and civil society to global discussions.
Appointees span private sector, technical community, civil society
The Nigerian appointees are Dr Jimson Olufuye, Principal Consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA); Ebenezer Dare, Chief Executive Officer of Hostlag Ltd.; and Atule Christian, President of the National Union of Telecommunication Engineering Students of Nigeria.
The other appointees are Martha Alade, Executive Director of Women in Technology in Nigeria, and Rafiu Olaore, Executive Director of Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society.
The group will serve as an advisory and consultative platform for regular information sharing on UNGIS priorities and for gathering perspectives and feedback from diverse stakeholder communities.
Olufuye says appointees will bring local realities to global discussions
Olufuye, one of the appointees, said that their appointment would help represent information technology realities across different sectors and ensure inclusion in global discussions.
He said the telecommunications sector was largely operated by private companies, making it important for industry participants to contribute to decisions affecting millions of people.
- “My appointment from the private sector in Nigeria to the global community will present a balanced view of the information system situation on ground,” Olufuye said, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
- “When we meet at the global level, we can present real situation and not decisions about us from Europe or elsewhere,” Olufuye added.
Group to build on WSIS+20 review outcomes
The group will build on the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Review, including UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/173. It will also draw on stakeholder inputs from the 29th annual session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the annual WSIS Forum and other UNGIS events.
The initiative is intended to promote inclusive dialogue and strengthen cooperation among stakeholders in shaping global information society policies and priorities.
The WSIS process is a UN-led initiative aimed at building an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society, with an emphasis on using information and communication technologies to advance sustainable development.
Nigeria’s digital inclusion gaps remain significant
The appointments come amid ongoing efforts to expand digital access and inclusion in Nigeria, where millions of people still face barriers to digital participation despite improvements in connectivity and smartphone adoption.
- In September 2026, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria accounted for an estimated 140 million people in the mobile internet usage gap in 2025, according to the GSM Association (GSMA). The figure represents people living in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but not using mobile internet services.
- Also in September, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) identified high device and connectivity costs, inaccessible digital products and inadequate digital skills as barriers preventing persons with disabilities from fully participating in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Separately, a KPMG study conducted with Orange Group Nigeria found that smartphone ownership rose from 64% in 2023 to 75% in 2025. However, more than a third of mobile subscribers were still using 2G networks as of May 2026, highlighting the continuing gap between device ownership and the quality of digital access.