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Cabinet officials

Nigeria to Roll Out Digital Fibre Optic Infrastructure by End of 2025

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Federal government of Nigeria plans to commence the rollout of digital fibre optic infrastructure in the last quarter of 2025, as part of its efforts to boost the country's digital economy. According to the government, Nigeria's Communications and Digital Economy sector has witnessed massive growth under President Bola Tinubu, attracting $191 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Q1 2024, a ninefold increase from $22 million in Q1 2023. The sector's growth is driven by the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, which has already trained over 117,000 Nigerians in digital skills. The government also plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable nationwide, starting in Q4 2025, and has invested $2 billion in this initiative.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Nigerian government plans to roll out digital fibre optic infrastructure by the end of 2025, with a total investment of $2 billion.
  • The country's Communications and Digital Economy sector has attracted $191 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Q1 2024, a ninefold increase from $22 million in Q1 2023.
  • The 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme has already trained over 117,000 Nigerians in digital skills, surpassing its initial target of 30,000.
  • Nigeria is ranked among the world's top 60 countries for AI readiness and has developed a homegrown large language model (LLM).
  • The government has funded 55 academic researchers to explore technology applications in agriculture, healthcare, and education.
  • The Nigeria Startup House in San Francisco aims to attract $5 billion in startup funding, supported by the Startup Pact and Trade Desk initiatives.
  • The government plans to deploy 7,000 telecom towers, targeting nationwide coverage of 98%.
  • The National Broadband Plan aims to achieve 90% penetration by 2025, up from 48% in 2024.

Statistics:

  • $191 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) attracted in Q1 2024 (Source: Presidential Spokesman's statement)
  • $22 million in FDI in Q1 2023 (Source: Presidential Spokesman's statement)
  • 117,000 Nigerians trained in digital skills through the 3MTT programme (Source: Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy)
  • $2 billion investment in fibre optic cable deployment (Source: Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy)
  • 10% of the 3 million goal of the 3MTT programme already reached (Source: Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy)
  • 90% penetration goal of the National Broadband Plan by 2025 (Source: Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy)
  • 48% penetration of the National Broadband Plan in 2024 (Source: Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy)

Sources:

  • Presidential Spokesman's statement
  • Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy
  • National Broadband Plan document

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