FG, Banks Start Discussions on Nationwide Broadband Deployment

The Federal Government on Wednesday announced that it had made significant strides in discussions with Development Finance Institutions to create a Special Purpose Vehicle with the goal of expanding the country's fiber optic network by 90,000 kilometres.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani emphasized a successful meeting with stakeholders that laid out the necessary procedures for the SPV.

"We had a highly productive discussion with Development Finance Institutions and other stakeholders to identify and delineate the steps required to establish the SPV for the construction of 90,000 km of fiber optic connectivity throughout Nigeria," Tijani stated on X (formerly Twitter).
The move follows the government’s approval in May, with significant progress made over several months to ensure better internet access, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

The SPV, which will manage the project’s implementation, finances, and operations, will be modeled on successful public-private partnerships like the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).

The project will boost Nigeria’s existing fibre optic cable infrastructure from 35,000 km to 125,000 km, making it the third-longest terrestrial fibre optic backbone in Africa, behind South Africa and Egypt.

This initiative aims to strengthen the national internet backbone and optimize the use of the eight submarine cables already landed in Nigeria.

Tijani expressed gratitude to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the World Bank, and several other partners for their support in this initiative.

“With this project, we are committed to fundamentally improving connectivity across the country and enhancing the lives of all citizens,” Tijani added.

Two weeks ago, the Nigerian government initiated talks with the World Bank on the project, which is expected to deepen the country’s digital economy.

An additional 90,000 km of fibre optic cable will ensure the inclusion of at least 50 per cent of the 33 million Nigerians currently excluded from internet access.

The minister noted the project’s potential economic impact, projecting GDP growth of up to 1.5 percent per capita, raising GDP from $472.6 billion in 2022 to $502 billion over the next four years.

The National Broadband Plan 2020–2025 addresses three of the eight priorities that the Nigerian Government assigned to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the parastatals under its purview.

The new broadband plan is designed to deliver data download speeds of at least 25 Mbps in urban areas and 10 Mbps in rural areas, with effective coverage available to at least 90 per cent of the population by 2025, at a price not exceeding N390 per 1GB of data (2 per cent of median income or 1 per cent of the minimum wage).

Tijani expressed gratitude to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the World Bank, and several other partners for their support in this initiative.
“With this project, we are committed to fundamentally improving connectivity across the country and enhancing the lives of all citizens,” Tijani added.

Two weeks ago, the Nigerian government initiated talks with the World Bank on the project, which is expected to deepen the country’s digital economy. An additional 90,000 km of fibre optic cable will ensure the inclusion of at least 50 percent of the 33 million Nigerians currently excluded from internet access.

The minister noted the project’s potential economic impact, projecting GDP growth of up to 1.5 per cent per capita, raising GDP from $472.6 billion in 2022 to $502 billion over the next four years.

The report suggests implementing policy measures to lower the expenses and complications associated with infrastructure deployment in order to attract investment and increase the use of broadband services.
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