The Federal Government is set to expand internet and digital service access to nearly 20 million Nigerians by 2027, as ongoing infrastructure projects across the country move toward operationalisation, Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has said.
Speaking at the Flagship Nigeria event in Abuja on Wednesday, Tijani described Nigeria’s digital investment drive as the largest on the African continent, aimed at strengthening connectivity, fostering digital skills, and underpinning the nation’s economic transformation agenda.
Tijani said, “Nigeria is the only country in Africa making such extensive investments in digital infrastructure.”
He highlighted plans to deploy a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network, supported by the World Bank, alongside two new communication satellites and 3,700 additional telecom towers targeted at rural communities.
According to him, “These initiatives, he said, will provide connectivity to the 20 million Nigerians currently offline”.
The minister added that recent reforms in the telecom sector, including tariff adjustments, have helped restore profitability and attracted more than $1 billion in private investment.
“Infrastructure alone is not enough,” he noted, stressing the importance of digital literacy and skills alongside physical connectivity.
Tijani pointed to the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program launched in 2023, which has already trained over 150,000 young Nigerians.
He said plans are underway to scale digital literacy nationwide using mobile technology and local languages.
In a first for Africa, he also revealed the government has developed a large language model capable of understanding Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and accented English to support AI-driven digital learning for all age groups.
On satellite connectivity, Tijani explained that Nigeria’s existing communication satellite is outdated. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the procurement of new satellites, expected to expand access to remote areas while supporting national security.
Fibre deployment is slated to start between the second and third quarters of 2026, with satellites expected to become operational by 2027.
Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, CEO of the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa (PDA), hailed Nigeria’s coordinated approach to connectivity, devices, and digital skills development.
He noted that electricity remains a key enabler for true digital inclusion and highlighted PDA’s Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to expand power supply to remote communities, schools, health centres, and markets.
Also speaking, Mathew Verghis, World Bank Nigeria Country Director, emphasised that universal digital inclusion requires electricity, broadband connectivity, and affordable devices to function together.
He stressed the need for coordinated planning, financing, and implementation of integrated power and fibre infrastructure to reduce costs and accelerate nationwide access.
“There is no digital inclusion without power, and no inclusive growth from electrification without connectivity,” Verghis said, pledging the World Bank’s support for federal and state governments, as well as private sector partners, to help realise Nigeria’s vision of integrated digital access.
With these measures, Nigeria is positioning itself as Africa’s leader in digital infrastructure, leveraging connectivity and skills development to drive economic growth and broaden access to technology for millions of citizens outside major urban centres.
