The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the rollout of the N3.3 trillion 90,000 kilometres of fibre lines, 7,000 Telecom Towers infrastructure nationwide, will formally commence in Q4 2025.
Tijani made the remarks in a statement released on Monday during an interview for an upcoming State House documentary to mark President Bola Tinubu’s second anniversary. He also stated that the sector witnessed massive growth under President Bola Tinubu, attracting $191 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Q1 2024 from $22 million recorded in Q1 2023.
Tijani highlighted the sector’s robust workforce development, driven by the three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, and revealed plans for a $2 billion initiative to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure nationwide, starting in Q4 2025. According to him, “These foundational reforms, coupled with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and the startup ecosystem, have positioned Nigeria as a global leader in the digital economy.”
The Minister stressed that the 3MTT programme, launched in October 2023, to create a tech-savvy workforce, has already trained over 117,000 Nigerians in digital skills, surpassing its initial target of 30,000. “By last year, we had already moved that to over 117,000. With an additional 35,000 in training, the programme is nearing 10 per cent of its three million goal. And in the rest of the time in office, we hope to reach the three million,” he said.
Regarding connectivity, Tijani announced that Project Bridge—focused on deploying 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable—will commence in the fourth quarter of this year. “We are preparing a $2 billion investment to ensure every Nigerian can access affordable, high-quality connectivity regardless of location. Increasing connectivity hubs by just 10 per cent could yield a 2.5 per cent GDP growth,” he said.
