Database

According to an USTR report, the Norwegian government screens investments on a case-by-case basis based on the "public interest" principle. This principle is reported as being vague and permitting broad discretion.

At least half of the board of directors and the managing director of a Limited Liability Company must be resident in the EEA (i.e. the EU and the EEA/EFTA states Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

In order to ensure that Telenor, the biggest telecom operator, remains under Norwegian control, the Norwegian Government holds the majority of the shares in the company (53.97%). A reduction of this percentage requires approval by the Parliament.

Although Norway is a signatory to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), its coverage schedules do not include "telecommunications related services" (CPC 754), which is an important service sector for digital trade.

It is reported that the right of access to public procurement is limited to regional trade agreement partners and members of the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement.

Non-established vendors must charge VAT when supplying electronic services to Norwegian consumers.

Companies are required to have a physical address in Norway or to appoint a Norwegian VAT representative in order to pay VAT in Norway.

The guidelines on Nigerian content in the ICT sector require the ICT-service providers to use a .ng domain name.

Nigeria has no de minimis rule, which means that there is no minimum value below which a good is exempted from duties and taxes collected by customs.

It is reported that "entrepreneurs are not able to accept credit card payments over the Internet due to legal and business concerns. The primary issue is transaction security. The absence or inadequacy of legal infrastructures governing the operation of e-transaction is also a concern."

Another academic study concludes that "the non-existence of an enacted law on Electronic Transaction in Nigeria has created an unpredictable legal environment for e-commerce. The rights and obligations of the transacting parties, legal aspects of electronic contracts, use of specified security procedures (including digital signatures) and concerns for authentication and non-repudiation is still a source of concern. It has denied businesses and community confidence in electronic transactions, and to use electronic communication in their transactions with government."

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is responsible for enforcing standards for all telecommunications equipment to ensure that they operate safely in the country. The Type Approval standards set by the NCC are based on international standards, but a local representative is mandatory.

All exporters and manufacturers must subject regulated goods to scrutiny against the standards and technical requirements of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON). Self-certification is therefore not permitted.

Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communication Technology has promulgated Guidelines on Nigerian Content in the ICT sector. The guidelines apply to state entities as well as private enterprises and individuals.

The requirements of the guidelines include:
- Original equipment manufacturers are expected to maintain at least 50% local content by value either directly or through outsourcing to local manufacturers engaged in any segment of the product value chain. This local content is required e.g. for the build out of mobile telephony infrastructure, including cell sites, cell towers, and base transceiver stations.

- Multinational companies are required to provide verifiable information and sign affidavits about the origin, safety, source and workings of software being sold and deployed within Nigeria in order to "ascentain the full security of the product and protect national security" as well as to assure the full security of source code.

- All ICT companies are required to register as Nigerian entities with predominant Nigerian representation, submit a Local Content Development Plan, use only locally manufactured SIM cards for the provision of data and telephony services, host all data locally, host their websites on a .ng top-level domain, and use local companies’ networks for at least 60% of all value added services (which increases to an 80% requirement after three years). In addition, the Guidelines require at least 50% of value added services to be locally provided by a Nigerian company.

- Developers of software are not allowed to sell their intellectual property rights in any way.

In Nigeria, the Conformity Assessment Program of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON-CAP) requires that imported goods undergo pre-shipment certification through authorized service providers. Goods are only released at arrival upon the production of completed SON-CAP certificates. The cost of this procedure amounts to approximately 600 USD per container/per product. For mixed shipments with different products this fee multiplies accordingly. Furthermore, the validity of certificates ranges between six months and one year. As a result, the importer is required to renew the registration at the latest after a year even if there is no change in the product. (see section on standards for more information)