Nigeria expands digital infrastructure and AI capabilities

Nigeria is implementing a multi-faceted strategy to bolster its digital economy through infrastructure development and human capital investment. The government is deploying a 90,000-kilometer fiber-optic network, supported by a $1.6 billion fund led by the World Bank, to provide the foundational connectivity required for businesses and researchers.

To support artificial intelligence adoption, the government is working with the Gates Foundation on a national shared computing facility and has already developed an open-source large language model. Additionally, a national initiative aims to train 3 million technical workers to ensure the workforce can utilize new technologies. The Nigeria AI Collective, an independent community of innovators funded by Pierre Omidyar, has also been established to foster local commercial solutions.

In parallel, industry stakeholders are focusing on improving internet interconnection. The 2026 Nigerian Peering and Interconnection Forum in Lagos will bring together telecommunications operators, ISPs, and data center companies to discuss internet peering and local content delivery. The goal is to strengthen domestic traffic exchange, which would reduce latency and improve efficiency by keeping more internet traffic within local networks rather than routing it internationally.