he Nigerian Government has announced that its plans to deploy 90 000km of fibre optic cable will begin in the final quarter of 2025
This follows a $700 million funding injection from development partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and Islamic Development Bank.
The project, which will expand the country’s fiber backbone from 35 000km to 125 000km, aims to increase internet penetration to over 70% of the population and connect millions of Nigerians currently excluded from the digital space.
Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, revealed the commencement date while speaking at an industry-focused session themed, ‘Fostering connectivity in unserved and underserved communities: collaborating for sustainable growth.’
He explained that, in 2024, the Federal Executive Council granted approval to establish a special purpose vehicle to deliver the project.
“Upon completion, Nigeria’s fibre optic backbone will become the third longest in Africa, after Egypt and South Africa. This expansion will optimise the use of Nigeria’s eight submarine cables, increasing data capacity utilisation from the current 10%, and driving down the cost of internet access by over 60%.”
Tijani said: “This increased connectivity will help plug the current non-consumption gap by connecting over 200 000 educational, healthcare, and social institutions across Nigeria.
“It will ensure that a larger section of our society can be included in the benefits of internet connectivity.”
According to Tijani, in addition to expanding coverage to over 70% of the population, it could also reduce the cost of internet access by 60% and connect at least 50% of the 33 million Nigerians currently excluded from the internet.