By Nkechi Eze
The Federal Government has secured $800 million in sovereign financing for Project BRIDGE, an initiative designed to deploy more than 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre-optic infrastructure across Nigeria’s 36 states by 2028, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has disclosed.
The project, when completed, is expected to expand Nigeria’s combined fibre backbone from approximately 35,000 kilometres to 125,000 kilometres and connect more than 200,000 schools, health facilities and other public institutions nationwide.
According to an official statement signed by the Special Adviser to the APC National Chairman on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda made the disclosure during a virtual executive session with chief executives of the information technology industry on Wednesday.
He described digital infrastructure as fundamental to Nigeria’s economic transformation, stressing that the country’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital inclusion and a technology-driven economy depended on robust, affordable and accessible connectivity.
Yilwatda explained that the Federal Government incorporated Bridge Open Access as an independent company in August to deliver the project, with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated expected to hold between 25 and 49 per cent equity, while private investors would own between 51 and 75 per cent and retain operational control.
He said the arrangement was designed to combine government’s strategic support and risk mitigation with private-sector investment, operational efficiency and discipline.
The APC chairman disclosed that the $800 million financing comprised $500 million from the World Bank, $100 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and $200 million from the African Development Bank. The initiative has also received a €22 million grant from the European Union.
He said the physical rollout was scheduled to commence in October 2026, with the delivery timeline reduced from five years to three years and completion targeted for 2028.
However, Yilwatda cautioned that the project’s success would depend on effective implementation rather than policy announcements, noting that approximately $1.2 billion in additional private capital was still required to meet its financing needs.
“Announcements do not lay cable,” he said, emphasising the need to mobilise private investment and address the practical challenges affecting telecommunications infrastructure deployment.
He warned that expanding fibre infrastructure alone would not guarantee digital inclusion without complementary investments in electricity, affordable devices, data services, telecommunications towers, backhaul infrastructure and last-mile connectivity.
According to him, fibre deployment remains concentrated in major urban centres, with Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory accounting for more than 18 per cent of installed fibre infrastructure, while fibre-to-the-home penetration remains low, with approximately 265,000 subscribers nationwide.
The APC chairman identified right-of-way charges, inconsistent regulatory requirements, multiple permits and damage to installed telecommunications infrastructure as major obstacles confronting operators.
He said the ruling party would work with the Progressive Governors’ Forum and its state chapters to promote harmonised, cost-reflective right-of-way charges and practical measures to protect telecommunications infrastructure in states governed by the APC.
He also appealed to governors elected on other political platforms to support the initiative, stressing that digital connectivity was a national development priority that should transcend partisan considerations.
“Infrastructure has no party. Our objective should be to create an environment in which every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation or location, can benefit from the digital economy,” he said.
Yilwatda further advocated the designation and protection of fibre-optic infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure, warning that vandalism and accidental damage could undermine significant public and private investments in broadband connectivity.
He called for stronger coordination between road construction projects and telecommunications infrastructure deployment, noting that roadworks, excavation and other civil engineering activities accounted for a significant number of fibre cuts.
While commending the Federal Ministries of Works and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy for inaugurating a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables, he urged the extension of the initiative to state and local governments.
He proposed that federal and state road contracts should include provisions for telecommunications ducts and require contractors to identify and protect existing fibre infrastructure before excavation begins.
“Building a road and destroying a broadband link in the same month is not development. It is waste,” he said.
On emerging technologies, Yilwatda said artificial intelligence would significantly shape the global economy over the next decade, urging Nigeria to position itself as an active participant in the AI revolution rather than remain a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
“The question for Nigeria is not whether AI will shape our economy. It will. The question is whether we will shape it, or simply rent it,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria already had a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, while the Federal Government had unveiled a National Digital Cloud Policy aimed at attracting approximately $750 million in private investment into cloud and data infrastructure within 24 months, including $250 million in the first year.
He added that government and industry stakeholders were working towards increasing Nigeria’s data-centre capacity from approximately 50 megawatts to 200 megawatts of IT load over the next five years.
However, he stressed that achieving these targets would require substantial investment in reliable energy infrastructure, given the high power demands of data centres and artificial intelligence systems.
“An AI strategy without an energy strategy is incomplete,” he said, advocating the integration of digital infrastructure into national power-sector planning, alongside greater use of embedded generation, renewable energy power purchase arrangements and reliable gas supply for digital infrastructure clusters.
On data sovereignty and local participation in the technology sector, Yilwatda supported the Federal Government’s policy direction favouring certified local providers in public procurement where appropriate, describing domestic capacity development and the protection of critical data as legitimate national objectives.
He, however, cautioned against allowing digital sovereignty to become a form of protectionism that could increase costs, discourage investment or limit Nigeria’s access to global expertise and technology.
He maintained that the successful implementation of Project BRIDGE and complementary digital policies would require sustained collaboration among government institutions, state and local authorities, telecommunications operators, technology companies and private investors to expand connectivity and strengthen Nigeria’s participation in the digital economy.
