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Nigeria digital infrastructure and regional cooperation

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2026-10-28 08:12 UTC → 2026-10-29 10:11 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Nigeria is accelerating its digital infrastructure expansion, most notably through the $2 billion Project BRIDGE, which aims to expand the national fiber optic backbone from 35,000 kilometers to 125,000 kilometers. To expedite this, the project timeline was recently reduced from five years to three years to provide high-speed connectivity to 40 million people. The initiative is supported by $500 million from the World Bank and $200 million from the African Development Bank. In October 2026, the Federal Government, the European Union, and the EBRD signed a €14 million grant agreement to support the deployment of approximately 90,000 kilometers of fiber-optic infrastructure, focusing on project scoping and capacity-building. To address a significant tower deficit, the government launched the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Programme (NUCAP). This initiative aims to deploy 3,700 telecommunications towers to serve approximately 20 million Nigerians in underserved areas. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, commissioned the first site in Bende, Abia State. This program is funded through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and involves partnerships with entities such as IHS Towers, Huawei, and MTN. Recent developments include efforts to bolster artificial intelligence through a national shared computing facility in collaboration with the Gates Foundation and the establishment of the Nigeria AI Collective. To strengthen the digital economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has engaged with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and major corporations like Microsoft and Flutterwave to discuss cloud computing and digital sovereignty. Additionally, the 2026 Nigerian Peering and Interconnection Forum in Lagos aims to improve domestic traffic exchange and reduce latency. In late October 2026, NITDA hosted a U.S. Chamber of Commerce delegation, including representatives from Microsoft, Citi Bank, and Flutterwave, to discuss digital transformation, data governance, and the development of a sovereign cloud ecosystem.

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