For millions of Nigerians, owning a smartphone is no longer a luxury—it is increasingly a necessity for work, education, banking and everyday communication. Yet as phone prices continue to rise, access to the digital economy is becoming more difficult for many families.

That challenge is now driving a fresh push for local smartphone manufacturing, with the Nigerian Communications Commission saying producing phones inside the country could be the key to making devices cheaper and expanding digital inclusion.

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Idris Olorunnimbe, has pledged to seek presidential incentives and waivers for investors willing to establish smartphone factories in Nigeria.

Speaking at the Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai, China, on June 24, Olorunnimbe said any manufacturer that commits to beginning factory construction in Nigeria before November would receive his support in securing government backing.

“If any manufacturer in this room… will commit to building a factory in Nigeria, and to beginning construction between now and November, I will take that commitment to the President myself and seek the waivers and the support you need to make it happen,” he said.

The NCC chairman argued that local production remains the most sustainable solution to Nigeria's growing device affordability challenge.

For many Nigerians, the cost of smartphones has risen sharply due to inflation, foreign exchange pressures and heavy dependence on imported devices.

A cheaper smartphone could mean:

- More students accessing online learning.
- More small businesses reaching customers digitally.
- Easier access to digital banking and government services.
- Greater opportunities for remote work and e-commerce.

The NCC believes producing devices locally would reduce exposure to exchange rate volatility because a larger share of production costs could be denominated in naira.

Nigeria has more than 170 million mobile connections and over 150 million mobile internet users, making it one of Africa's biggest digital markets.

The government sees this huge market as an opportunity to attract manufacturers, create jobs and build local supply chains involving engineers, technicians, retailers and logistics companies.

If successful, Nigeria could also position itself as a regional hub for smartphone assembly and technology manufacturing.

The idea of locally made smartphones is not entirely new.

Previous attempts struggled because of concerns about product quality, poor after-sales support and weak consumer confidence. Many Nigerians remain cautious about locally assembled devices after earlier initiatives failed to compete with imported brands.

Olorunnimbe acknowledged this challenge directly.

“The aim is to build phones in Nigeria that match the imported phones on quality and beat them on price. A locally made device that asks Nigerians to settle for less is not worth making,” he said.

This may be the biggest test of the new proposal: can Nigeria produce affordable smartphones without compromising quality?

At the moment, no manufacturer has publicly announced plans to establish a factory in Nigeria under the proposed initiative.

The government is also yet to announce any formal incentive package.

However, the proposal signals a growing belief that digital inclusion and industrial growth cannot be separated. Affordable smartphones are increasingly seen as essential infrastructure in a modern economy.

Ultimately, the real question may not be whether Nigeria can build smartphones locally, but whether it can create an environment where investors trust the market and consumers trust the products.

If that happens, cheaper smartphones could become more than an economic policy goal—they could become a gateway to wider digital opportunities for millions of Nigerians.