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The Federal Government has announced plans to establish Nigeria as the third-largest terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure nation in Africa, with the proposed installation covering 90,000 km.
Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, confirmed this at the Fibre Forward Strategic Development Workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Digital Economy, and Information Technology.
A statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed Manga, on Wednesday, highlighted that the Workshop marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards revolutionizing connectivity through a $2 billion Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) initiative.
“The project aims at extending the nation’s fibre-optic backbone by 90,000 km, positioning Nigeria to become Africa’s third-largest terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure, upon completion,” the statement read.
In his address, Mr. Edun emphasized the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the project’s success, which will foster economic growth, job creation, and technological empowerment. This initiative demonstrates Nigeria’s dedication to bridging the digital divide and achieving a digitally driven economy.
Last month, the government approved an SPV to support the delivery of an additional 90,000 km of fibre optic cable for universal internet access across Nigeria. An SPV is a separate legal entity created to achieve a specific goal or project. In this context, the SPV will manage the fibre optics project, overseeing its implementation, finances, and operations.
The project, managed under the Ministry of Digital Communication, will be modeled in governance and operations similar to some of the best public-private partnership setups in Nigeria, such as NIBSS and NLNG.
Minister Bosun Tijani highlighted that the project aims to ensure that at least 50% of the 33 million Nigerians currently excluded from internet access will be included. He added that the project is expected to significantly impact the country’s economy, with projected GDP growth of up to 1.5% per capita, raising GDP from $472.6 billion in 2022 to $502 billion over the next four years.
“This extensive coverage will enable us to optimize the unique benefit of having eight submarine cables already landed in Nigeria, driving the uptake of the data capacity that the cables offer beyond the current usage level of 10%.
“Building on our existing work with the Broadband Alliance, this increased connectivity will help plug the current non-consumption gap by connecting over 200,000 educational, healthcare, and social institutions across Nigeria, ensuring that a larger section of our society can benefit from internet connectivity,” he said.
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