Nigeria secures $100m investment for fibre expansion under project BRIDGE
The federal government has secured a $100 million investment from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support the rollout of its nationwide fibre-optic expansion programme, Project BRIDGE.
Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, announced the approval on Wednesday via his official X account, describing it as a major milestone in the project’s investment drive.
According to the minister, the EBRD board formally approved the funding at the conclusion of a two-week investment tour across six European countries. The tour was aimed at mobilising strategic partnerships to facilitate the deployment of 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable across Nigeria.
Tijani noted that the new investment complements the $500 million financing earlier secured from the World Bank Group for the initiative.
In addition, the European Union has committed a €22 million grant under a broader €45 million digital economy support package. The package includes €18 million dedicated to strengthening digital public services and €5 million to bolster the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
Project BRIDGE was unveiled on August 5, 2025, as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) designed to attract private sector capital and technical expertise for large-scale broadband infrastructure development.
The government projects that the initiative will significantly improve connectivity nationwide, with a target of increasing internet penetration by 70 percent overall and expanding access to 80 percent of underserved populations by 2027.
