NCC, CBN finalise refund framework for failed airtime, data transactions

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have concluded plans to roll out a joint refund framework aimed at resolving consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions.

The initiative, driven by consumer protection concerns, is designed to address situations where subscribers are debited without receiving airtime or data due to network downtime, system glitches, or human errors.

The framework emerged after months of stakeholder engagements involving the NCC, CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers and other industry players. The discussions were prompted by a growing volume of complaints from consumers over delayed or unresolved failed transactions.

According to the regulators, the framework represents a harmonised position between the telecommunications and financial sectors on how such complaints should be handled. It clearly outlines the responsibilities of all parties involved in airtime and data purchases and introduces enforceable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for both MNOs and banks.

Under the new arrangement, any subscriber whose bank account is debited without receiving airtime or data will be entitled to an automatic refund within 30 seconds. However, in cases where a transaction is pending, refunds may take up to 24 hours.

The framework also mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS on the success or failure of every airtime or data transaction. It further addresses issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases, and transfers made to wrong phone numbers.

Speaking on the development, NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that a Central Monitoring Dashboard would be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN to track transaction failures, refunds, responsible parties and SLA breaches in real time.

“Failed top-ups remain one of the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission. In line with our commitment to resolving priority consumer issues, we were determined to tackle this challenge within the shortest possible time,” she said.

Bruce-Bennett commended stakeholders, particularly the CBN, for their collaboration and commitment, noting that even before formal approval of the framework, banks and telecom operators had collectively refunded over ₦10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.

She added that full implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, subject to final approval by the management of both regulators and the completion of technical integration by all participating institutions.