The Federal Government has shortened the delivery timeline for Nigeria’s $2 billion National Fibre Network Project from five years to three, with completion now targeted for 2028.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this while speaking at Semafor’s ‘The Next 3 Billion’ event in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The project, known as Project BRIDGE, is designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure and expand Nigeria’s total fibre network to about 125,000 kilometres.
According to the minister, the rollout is expected to connect about 40 million Nigerians who currently lack internet access and provide the infrastructure needed to expand reliable, high-speed connectivity across the country.
The government initially planned for the project to be delivered over five years, with physical cable laying and related construction scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. The revised plan is expected to bring completion forward to 2028 or early 2029.
Project BRIDGE is being structured as a wholesale, open-access network that will allow telecommunications operators, internet service providers and other digital businesses to use the infrastructure to extend services to underserved communities.
The project has also attracted support from development finance institutions. The World Bank has committed $500 million to the initiative, while the African Development Bank approved an additional $200 million in April 2026.
The Federal Government plans to use a special purpose vehicle to attract further private-sector investment alongside funding from development partners.
Tijani said the focus was not only on expanding internet coverage but on providing what he described as “meaningful connectivity” — reliable and high-speed internet that enables individuals and businesses to effectively use digital services.
The accelerated timeline is expected to increase the pace of fibre deployment as Nigeria seeks to close its connectivity gap and strengthen the infrastructure supporting the country’s growing digital economy.
