News Highlights:
- NCC EVC has been confirmed as Special Guest of Honour at the 2026 Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards scheduled for May 30 in Lagos.
- The event will spotlight digital transformation and honour top organisations and individuals driving growth and innovation in Nigeria’s ICT and banking sectors.
Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (EVC/CEO), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been confirmed as a Special Guest of Honour at this year’s Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards.
Africa Beacon of ICT Lectures and Awards is widely regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria.
The event, according to Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria Communications Week, “is a digital transformation edition” and will hold on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the Four Points by Sheraton, Lagos.
Africa’s BoICT Lecture is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.
It will also recognise and celebrate organisations and individuals in the ICT and banking industries that have impacted the digital transformation of the economy.
Nwogbo said that Dr. Maida oversees the regulation, development, and strategic direction of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
His administration at the NCC actively drives initiatives to improve telecom consumer experience, enhance infrastructure, and foster collaborations (such as with the Central Bank of Nigeria) to protect citizens from financial fraud
He holds a PhD in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, UK.
Before joining the NCC, he served as the Executive Director, Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).
At NIBSS, Dr. Maida was responsible for spearheading the technical and operational standardisation of all devices deployed in the financial system in Nigeria for interoperability.
He led a dynamic team that ensured that all terminals used in the e-payment industry and all devices deployed in Nigeria would accept all cards issued by banks and other licensed card schemes without discrimination.
Before his appointment at NIBSS, Maida was the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at the Nigerian-based FinTech Arca Payments Network and Senior Manager at Cisco Systems, United Kingdom.
As a seasoned technical professional with over 15 years of multi-functional and international experience in FinTech & Telecoms & Enterprise Technology, Dr Maida, between 2010 and 2014, worked as a Network Design Consultant at EE, part of BT Group, and one of the largest mobile communications companies in the UK.
He was also at some point (2006-2010) a System Engineer at Ubiquisys, a leading company in intelligent 3G and LTE small cells, which is now part of Cisco.
Dr. Maida will join top dignitaries who have graced the event in the past, including: Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former executive vice-chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Chris Uwaje, chairman, Mobile Software Solutions Ltd; Uche Orji, former managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodun Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Dr. Isa Pantanmi, former DG, NITDA; Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, co-founder and COO, Digital Encode Limited, among others.
The high point of the BoICT Lecture will be the conferment of awards on companies and individuals for their significant contributions to the growth of technology in Nigeria and, indeed, Africa.
The event is a five-star event; easily Nigeria’s ICT Oscars.
