THE RACE TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
The optic fibre network project will deepen broadband penetration across the country, argues
SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE
An ambitious 90,000 km optic fiber network is in the offing by the government of Nigeria. When actualized, it’s expected to boost coverage and expand network connectivity, taking services to unserved and underserved areas of the 774 council areas in the country. With necessary funding secured and Special Purpose Vehicle in place, Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Minister is optimistic that the race to Bridge the digital divide has begun.
The 90,000 km optic fiber ring being proposed will augment the existing 35,000 network infrastructure. The funding which was secured by different sources will build the new infrastructure round the country and take services to underserved and unserved areas of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The Minister is quoted as saying that “by the time we are done, it’s going to be either the third or second longest fibre-optic network on the African continent, somewhere between what we have in South Africa and Egypt. And this is a project that is starting implementation in October. We have raised the funding for it,” the Minister said. To ensure comprehensive coverage he explained that “the infrastructure strategy combines terrestrial fiber, mobile towers, and satellite technology. While presidential approval includes installing telecom towers in underserved locations, the government will deploy satellite connectivity in hard-to-reach or terrain-impracticable areas to guarantee network access for over 20 million currently unserved citizens.”
The government has incorporated Bridge Open Access (Bridge OA), an independent Special Purpose Vehicle established under Project BRIDGE to execute and manage the infrastructure backbone. Confirming that necessary funding has been secured, the Minister noted that President Bola Tinubu approved the project to aggressively deepen broadband penetration across the country. The scheduled roll out is in October 2026 at an estimated cost of $2 billion, funded via public-private partnership (PPP), combining debt from development finance institution equity from private companies. The Federal Government holds a minority stake between 25% and 49%. It extends Nigeria’s total fiber backbone from roughly 35,000 km to 125,000 km, making it one of the longest networks in Africa. It aims to connect every state, local government area, ward, and over 200,000 social, educational, and healthcare institutions. The advisory, structural, and funding partnerships driving the Project BRIDGE SPV include several major technical and development entities. These include Strategic Advisory and Procurement Partners like Blue-chip Technologies Limited that was appointed as the Lead Partner in the consortium awarded the ₦451.8 million advisory contract by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE). They are tasked with designing the implementation-ready supply chain and procurement strategy for the entire network rollout.
Blue-chip Communications Limited is acting as the Member Partner alongside Blue-chip Technologies within the Joint Venture while Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) is providing the standardized Model Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement framework to align legal, structural, and risk allocations with global best practices.
Core Funding & Technical Design Partners are in charge of the project design, technical studies, and financial structures closely tied to a working group of global development financial institutions (DFIs) co-led by the Nigerian government while African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Co-leads the working group and approved $200 million for the Digital Value Chain Infrastructure project under Project BRIDGE. The World Bank Group is backing the initiative with a foundational $500 million financing agreement.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has also committed a $100 million investment while European Union (EU) is providing a €22 million direct grant. Operational Delivery & Deployment Partners will handle the
Project Implementation Unit (PIU) composed of experienced telecom and legal experts from both the private and government sectors managing the preliminary activities.
Government also formed the National Broadband Alliance for Nigeria (NBAN) to unify local telecom infrastructure providers, civil society, and state agencies to handle the local, middle-mile distribution once the main backbone is laid.
The core procurement strategy designed by Bluechip Technologies will harness local internet service providers (ISPs) to hook into this open-access wholesale network.
The Board of Directors of ADB Group approved a $200 million loan to the government of Nigeria to advance a flagship initiative to deploy the 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre nationwide, expand digital skills, and drive job creation across the country.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and West Africa’s largest market, and with the digital economy increasingly a major contributor to GDP, the Digital Value Chain Infrastructure for Boosting Employment (D-VIBE) Project is expected to close connectivity gaps and support productivity and job creation.
It will achieve this by extending Nigeria’s national fibre backbone from around 35,000 km to about 125,000 km, connecting all the local government areas – including schools, health facilities, agro-industrial zones, rural communities and commercial hubs – to high-speed broadband and establishing cross-border links with neighbours Benin, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. D-VIBE, also known as Project BRIDGE, is structured as a public-private partnership through a Special Purpose Vehicle with public ownership capped between 25% and 49% and private sector participation between 51% and 75%, helping address rollout constraints such as high construction and right-of-way costs.
The African Development Bank Group is providing a $200 million loan as part of an $800 million sovereign financing package for the project, alongside $500 million from the World Bank and $100 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Total project financing is estimated at $2 billion, and includes an EU grant of €22 million, a $2.6 million Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) project preparation grant, and at least $1.2 billion of investment from the private sector. “Nigeria has the talent, the market, and the ambition; what it has lacked is the backbone infrastructure to connect that potential to opportunity.
D-VIBE changes that. From the north to the south, from farms to factories to classrooms, this investment will make high-speed connectivity a reality for every Nigerian community and give young people the tools to build their futures digitally,” said Abdul Kamara, Director General, African Development Bank Group Nigeria Office.
The project is supported through a working group of development finance institutions, co-led by the Nigerian government and the African Development Bank Group, that will align design choices, technical studies and financing. Beyond infrastructure, the project aims to address demand-side barriers to digital use with affordable devices, large-scale skills development and support for digital platforms in priority sectors. It will also support enabling cybersecurity and market competition policies while applying criteria – including increased use of hybrid and renewable power – to build resilience. D-VIBE is expected to support creation of up to 2.8 million jobs over its lifecycle and raise national broadband penetration from 45% to around 70% by 2030. The project aligns with Nigeria’s Vision 2050, its National Development Plan and Renewed Hope Development Plan (2026-2030), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024-2033). “I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the critical national infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonization, these are reforms the industry has long requested,” he said.
Aragba-Akpore is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board