Nigerian telecoms consumers may soon get instant refunds for failed airtime and data transactions as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conclude plans to roll out a joint refund framework aimed at protecting subscribers.
According Mrs Nnena Ukoha, NCC’s Head of Public Affairs in a statement on Thursday, under the new framework, customers who are debited for airtime or data but do not receive value will be entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except where transactions remain pending, in which case refunds may take up to 24 hours.
The initiative, jointly developed by the NCC and the CBN, follows months of engagement with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other stakeholders, amid growing consumer complaints over failed transactions and delayed resolutions.
The NCC said the framework represented a unified response from both the telecommunications and financial sectors to address the root causes of failed airtime and data purchases, including system glitches, network downtimes and human input errors.
It also introduces enforceable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of banks and telecom operators in transaction processing and dispute resolution.
The framework further mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction. It also covers erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases and instances where airtime or data is sent to the wrong phone number.
Speaking on the development, the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, said failed top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission.
“Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time,” she said.
Bruce-Bennett disclosed that the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN.
The dashboard will allow both regulators to monitor transaction failures in real time, identify the responsible party, track refunds and enforce SLA compliance.
She added that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, telecom operators and banks have already refunded over ₦10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.
Implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once final regulatory approvals are secured and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs is completed.
The NCC expressed confidence that the new system will significantly improve consumer experience and restore trust in digital airtime and data purchase platforms across the country.