The Federal Government has set 2028 as the completion target for Project BRIDGE, a digital infrastructure initiative designed to deploy more than 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre-optic cables across Nigeria and expand the country’s broadband backbone to approximately 125,000 kilometres.

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed this on Wednesday during a virtual executive meeting with chief executives of information technology companies in Abuja.

According to Yilwatda, the project is expected to connect more than 200,000 public institutions, including schools and healthcare facilities, while improving access to reliable and affordable internet services across the country.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman described digital connectivity as essential to Nigeria’s economic development, particularly in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the expansion of the digital economy.

He said the initiative would significantly increase the country’s existing fibre backbone, currently estimated at 35,000 kilometres, while addressing gaps in digital infrastructure.

Yilwatda explained that the government incorporated Bridge Open Access as an independent company in August to oversee the network’s delivery. Under the proposed ownership structure, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, would hold between 25 and 49 per cent equity, while private investors would own between 51 and 75 per cent and retain operational control.

He said the arrangement was designed to combine government support with private-sector investment, operational efficiency and commercial expertise.

The initiative has secured approximately $800 million in sovereign financing, comprising $500 million from the World Bank, $100 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and $200 million from the African Development Bank. It has also received a €22 million grant from the European Union.

Physical implementation is scheduled to begin in October 2026, with the delivery timeline shortened from five years to three years.

However, Yilwatda said an additional $1.2 billion in private investment would be required to meet the project’s remaining financing needs, warning that its success would depend on effective implementation rather than policy announcements alone.

He also cautioned that expanding fibre-optic infrastructure would not automatically guarantee digital inclusion without corresponding investments in electricity, affordable internet-enabled devices, data services, telecommunications towers and last-mile connectivity.

The APC chairman noted that fibre deployment remained concentrated in major urban centres, with Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory accounting for more than 18 per cent of the country’s installed fibre infrastructure. He added that fibre-to-the-home connectivity remained limited, with approximately 265,000 subscribers nationwide.

Yilwatda identified inconsistent right-of-way charges, multiple permit requirements and damage to telecommunications infrastructure as major obstacles to broadband expansion.

To address these challenges, he said the APC national secretariat would collaborate with the Progressive Governors’ Forum and party chapters in APC-controlled states to promote harmonised right-of-way charges and stronger protection for telecommunications infrastructure.

He also urged governors from other political parties to support the initiative, arguing that digital connectivity was a national development priority that should not be restricted by political differences.

Yilwatda further called for fibre-optic cables to receive protection as Critical National Information Infrastructure, noting that vandalism and accidental damage could undermine investments in telecommunications networks.

He advocated closer coordination between road construction projects and telecommunications deployment, proposing that federal and state road contracts include provisions for telecommunications ducts and require contractors to identify and protect existing fibre cables before excavation begins.

Although he commended the Federal Ministries of Works and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy for establishing a standing committee on protecting fibre-optic cables, he urged the government to extend the arrangement to state and local government levels.

On emerging technologies, Yilwatda said Nigeria needed to strengthen its capacity to develop and benefit from artificial intelligence rather than depend solely on technologies produced elsewhere.

He noted that the country had adopted a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and introduced a National Digital Cloud Policy aimed at attracting approximately $750 million in private investment into cloud and data infrastructure within 24 months, including $250 million in the first year.

He added that the government and industry stakeholders were working towards increasing Nigeria’s data-centre capacity from approximately 50 megawatts to 200 megawatts of IT load over the next five years.