The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has unveiled the technical blueprint for Project BRIDGE, a transformative national infrastructure initiative aimed at deploying 90,000 km of fibre-optic cable across Nigeria. This ambitious project seeks to revolutionize the nation’s digital infrastructure, providing high-speed, resilient, and equitable broadband connectivity to every corner of the country.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement event in Lagos, Dr. Tijani described the initiative as “the most ambitious and foundational digital infrastructure project in Nigeria’s history.”
Project Overview
Project BRIDGE is designed to:
- Expand the fibre-optic network: Increase Nigeria’s existing 35,000 km of fibre-optic cables to a total of 125,000 km, making it the third-largest fibre backbone in Africa.
- Boost internet penetration: Achieve 70% internet penetration by 2025 and 80% coverage for underserved populations by 2027.
- Connect underserved areas: Provide internet access to over 200,000 educational, healthcare, and social institutions, bridging the connectivity gap for 33 million offline Nigerians.
- Create jobs: Generate 20,000 direct jobs and 150,000 indirect jobs, while training 5,000 Nigerian youths through the Digital Bridge Institute.
When completed, the project will increase Nigeria’s national fibre footprint from 35,000 km to 125,000 km — making it the largest fibre backbone investment in any developing nation and one of the most extensive on the continent. The network is designed to be wholesale, open-access, and support both large and small internet service providers (ISPs) through core, metropolitan, and middle-mile layers, thereby making internet service available and accessible to Nigerians.
Funding and Partnerships
The project is estimated to cost $2 billion, with:
- Sovereign loans: Half of the funding secured through loans from development finance institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
- Private investments: The remaining half to be funded by private sector companies and investors.
- Global partnerships: Dr. Tijani has actively sought international support, pitching Project BRIDGE to the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and discussing funding with the World Bank and AfDB.
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
- Right-of-Way (RoW) issues: Excessive RoW fees imposed by state governments have hindered telecom companies’ ability to expand fibre infrastructure.
- Rural connectivity: Deploying fibre in rural areas is costly, and investors are cautious about extending infrastructure to low-income regions.
Opportunities
- Economic growth: Experts estimate that Project BRIDGE could increase Nigeria’s GDP per capita by 1.5%, raising it from $472.6 billion to about $502 billion within four years.
- Digital literacy: Enhanced connectivity will improve access to education, financial services, and digital governance, while empowering startups and strengthening national security.
Conclusion
The unveiling of the Project BRIDGE blueprint marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey. With its ambitious goals and potential to stimulate economic growth, this project has the capacity to reshape the country’s digital landscape. As it rolls out over the next five years, it is expected to make a lasting impact on Nigeria’s economy and society.
