Nigerian government and industry aim to strengthen digital infrastructure
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Nigeria has secured a US$100 million investment from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Project Bridge, the country’s flagship broadband expansion initiative.
The approval comes as the Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy Dr ‘Bosun Tijani embarks on a strategic European Investment Tour aimed at mobilising global capital and partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s digital infrastructure ambitions.
The EBRD investment adds to the already secured US$500 million financing from the World Bank Group. Project Bridge is designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable infrastructure across the country, significantly expanding broadband access, strengthening digital resilience, and lowering access costs.
Earlier in the week, the country’s government also announced the approval of a €22 million grant dedicated to Project Bridge, €18 million (US$21.3 million) to advance digital public services, and €5 million (US$6 million) to support the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Nigeria Programme, which is aimed at building Nigeria's technical talent backbone. This is part of the European Union’s €45 million (US$53.1million) Digital Economy Package targeted at holistic investment in infrastructure, digital government modernisation, and talent development.
it was in May 2024 that we first reported plans to launch a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the delivery of an additional 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable across Nigeria.
In a potentially linked piece of news, South Africa-headquartered integrated IT solutions provider Dimension Data Nigeria, a member of the NTT Group, says it has raised ₦20 billion (approximately US$13.7 million) through a bond programme under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria.
This initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by addressing gaps in fibre coverage and limited enterprise connectivity, and increasing demand for cloud, fintech, digital services and artificial intelligence.
Dimension Data has stated that the capital will be used to fund long-term investments in expanding network capacity, enhancing resilience, and supporting carrier-grade and enterprise services as data consumption continues to accelerate nationwide.
