The Federal Government is seeking approximately $1.2 billion in private-sector investment to complete the financing structure for its planned 90,000-kilometre nationwide fibre-optic network, one of Nigeria’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
The network, being developed under Project BRIDGE, has an estimated capital requirement of about $2 billion and is expected to move towards physical deployment in October.
Government and international financial institution records show that about $800 million has already been covered through sovereign financing commitments, leaving roughly $1.2 billion of the estimated project cost to be mobilised.
The existing financing comprises a $500 million World Bank facility approved in October 2025, a $100 million European Bank for Reconstruction and Development loan approved in February 2026 and a further $200 million loan from the African Development Bank approved in April.
Private Funding Not Condition for Take-Off
The outstanding $1.2 billion does not mean deployment must wait until the entire amount has been raised.
According to the information provided, private capital forms the larger remaining component of the project’s estimated $2 billion financing envelope rather than a prerequisite that must be completely secured before implementation begins.
The Federal Government has also incorporated a company to drive implementation as the project moves closer to physical deployment.
Strategic Communications Adviser to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Osibo Imhoitsike, said Project BRIDGE had attracted significant backing from international development finance institutions.
He also pointed to private-sector mobilisation built into the project’s transaction structure.
Fibre Network Could Expand Broadband Capacity
The planned 90,000km infrastructure is intended to substantially expand Nigeria’s fibre backbone.
Fibre infrastructure is critical to broadband because it provides the high-capacity connections required to move large volumes of data between cities, mobile network infrastructure, data centres, businesses and international internet gateways.
Greater fibre penetration could therefore improve network capacity and support expansion of digital services beyond Nigeria’s largest commercial centres.
For the government, the next major challenge will be translating development-finance commitments and private-sector interest into physical infrastructure.
With deployment expected to begin in October, attention will increasingly turn to how quickly construction progresses and how the network ultimately translates into more affordable and reliable connectivity for businesses and households.
