World Bank pledges $500 million to support Nigeria’s 90,000km fibre optic network expansion

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Technology, and Innovation, Bosun Tijani, has revealed that the World Bank has committed $500 million to finance the country’s plan to extend its fibre optic infrastructure by 90,000km. This announcement comes barely a day after the United States government approved a $2 million grant to support the expansion plan. 

Speaking during an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday night, the minister said that other donors have made similar pledges to enable the government to actualise the $2 billion needed to complete the project. 

“The World Bank has committed to push us through if everything aligns… we’ll get to the point where we sign and they will release their part by summer, which is by the end of Q2 into Q3,” he stated. 

For the installation timeline, Tijani shared that he was targeting the third quarter of the year to begin trenching the ground where the fibre optic layers will be laid, adding that projects of this magnitude often take 5 to 6 years to complete. He also assured of plans to hire competent companies and provide the specialised equipment needed to carry out the installation, an indication of the government’s commitment to the success of the project.

“My personal ambition is that we should start digging the ground to lay the fibre networks by Q3, sometime in September, October,” Tijani added. “90,000km is significant. In some countries, this will take five, six years. What we are doing is actually starting a training program that will focus on increasing the pull of companies with the capacity to do this work.”

“Also, remember that it takes special equipment to dig. Part of what we’re doing as a country is to see whether we can collectively import civil work equipment to help these small businesses support our development.” 

In addition to improving Internet access and creating jobs, the minister highlighted that the project, once completed, will position Nigeria as a regional leader in the telecommunications sector capable of supporting neighbouring countries. 

In October 2024, Nigeria secured a ₦2.8 billion Google grant to promote AI talent development in the country. The expansion of the fibre network on such a large scale is expected to create opportunities across industries, drive business growth in a more connected environment, and promote innovation in key sectors such as education, healthcare, and finance.

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