By Joy Baba-Yesufu
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has unveiled the technical blueprint for Project BRIDGE, an ambitious initiative to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable nationwide.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Lagos, Tijani described the project as the most extensive digital infrastructure programme in Nigeria’s history, aimed at expanding the country’s national fibre network from 35,000km to 125,000km.
“This is about more than fibre; it is about inclusion,” Tijani said. “Every Nigerian, whether in a major city or rural community, should be able to participate in and benefit from the digital economy.”
The wholesale, open-access network will support both large and small internet service providers through core, metropolitan, and middle-mile infrastructure. It will be anchored on seven regional backbone rings linking Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and Lagos, providing low latency, high capacity, and redundancy.
Dedicated Points of Presence will be established in all 774 local government areas, from where connections will extend to schools, hospitals, and government facilities to boost last-mile access.
Tijani said the design is scalable and future-proof, with expansion capacity guided by population growth and technology trends. The final phase will enable ISPs to deliver broadband directly to homes, businesses, and institutions.
He called for collaboration from public and private sector stakeholders in shaping the rollout. “Together, we will bridge the digital divide and build an inclusive, future-ready economy,” he said.
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