Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government has secured a $200 million loan from the African Development Bank Group to support the rollout of 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre infrastructure nationwide, as part of the Digital Value Chain Infrastructure for Boosting Employment Project, also known as Project BRIDGE.
Okay News reports that the AfDB loan is 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. Total project financing is estimated at $2 billion, including at least $1.2 billion of private sector investment.
The project aims to expand Nigeria’s fibre backbone from approximately 30,000 kilometres to about 120,000 kilometres, connecting all 774 local government areas to high-speed broadband. It is expected to support the creation of up to 2.8 million jobs over its lifecycle and raise national broadband penetration from 45 percent to around 70 percent by 2030.
AfDB Nigeria Director General Abdul Kamara stated that Nigeria has the talent, the market, and the ambition, but what it has lacked is the backbone infrastructure to connect that potential to opportunity. He added that this investment will make high-speed connectivity a reality for every Nigerian community.
The project will also establish cross-border fibre links with neighbouring countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. It will address demand-side constraints through affordable device access, large-scale digital skills development, and support for digital platforms in priority sectors. This broadband infrastructure investment represents a major step toward expanding Nigeria’s digital economy and connectivity.
