Nigeria’s plan to build one of Africa’s largest fibre-optic networks is moving into a critical phase. But before a single kilometre of cable is laid under the latest expansion programme, the company expected to deliver the project must first come into existence.
The federal government is preparing to incorporate a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will oversee Project BRIDGE, the flagship initiative designed to expand Nigeria’s digital backbone by at least 90,000 kilometres over the next five years.
The incorporation itself will not signal the start of construction. Instead, it marks the legal birth of the company that will coordinate financing, oversee implementation and manage what is expected to become one of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects.
According to Jumoke Akande, Project Lead at the Project Implementation Unit of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the project’s legal entity is expected to be registered before work progresses into its next phase.
The company’s official name has not been made public. In project documents, it is simply referred to as the “Project Company,” “Project BRIDGE SPV,” or the “SPV.”
Once incorporated, the company will carry the responsibility of raising private investment, coordinating construction across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and delivering a climate-resilient fibre network scheduled for completion by September 2030.
That timeline leaves little room for setbacks.
Before construction can begin, the SPV must secure investors, reach financial close, complete engineering designs, conduct route surveys, obtain regulatory approvals, and negotiate right-of-way agreements with state governments. Physical deployment is currently expected to begin in 2027, leaving roughly three and a half years to complete the nationwide rollout.
If delivered on schedule, Project BRIDGE will increase Nigeria’s national fibre backbone to roughly 120,000 kilometres. The network is expected to extend broadband infrastructure to more than 770 local government areas while connecting thousands of schools, hospitals and government institutions to high-speed internet.
Unlike traditional telecommunications companies, the SPV will not sell internet services directly to consumers. Instead, it will operate as a wholesale, open-access infrastructure provider, allowing mobile network operators, internet service providers and enterprise customers to lease capacity under equal commercial terms.
That distinction is central to the project’s design.
Rather than encouraging every telecom operator to build separate fibre routes, the government hopes to create shared infrastructure that lowers deployment costs, improves network efficiency and makes broadband expansion commercially viable in underserved communities.
Financing reflects the scale of that ambition.
The World Bank has committed $500 million through the International Development Association, while an additional $1.1 billion is expected from private investors and commercial financing. Other development finance institutions have also pledged support, including the African Development Bank ($200 million), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ($100 million), and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), which is contributing another $100 million.
According to Akande, the financing figures remain subject to final modelling by the project’s transaction advisers.
She explained that while earlier reports referenced a $2 billion project cost, the financing package formally approved by the World Bank currently stands at approximately $1.6 billion.
With incorporation expected to unlock the next stage of the project, attention is now shifting from planning to investment.
Government documents indicate that more than 30 local and international companies participated in the project’s market-sounding and prequalification process. Once the SPV is established, negotiations are expected to advance towards final investment agreements and construction contracts.
Private investors are expected to hold the controlling stake in the company, owning between 51% and 75%, while the federal government will retain a minority share of between 25% and 49%.
The ownership structure is intended to give the project commercial independence while limiting political interference through private-sector management and an independent board.
Even so, attracting investors may prove easier than delivering the network itself.
The rollout schedule is highly ambitious.
Project plans call for approximately 17,500 kilometres of fibre to be deployed during the first year of construction, followed by 25,000 kilometres in both 2028 and 2029. Another 22,500 kilometres must then be completed within the first nine months of 2030.
At peak construction, contractors would need to install roughly 80 to 90 kilometres of fibre every day.
To achieve that pace, the country plans to divide construction into six engineering, procurement and construction zones operating simultaneously, with contractors working across multiple regions at once.
Building the network, however, is only part of the challenge.
Project milestones also include activating wholesale interconnection hubs, connecting public institutions, extending broadband infrastructure to more than 400 local government headquarters, lowering wholesale bandwidth prices, and building redundant fibre routes that minimise service disruptions caused by cable cuts.
If those targets are achieved, the government projects broadband users will increase from about 92 million to 150 million by 2030. Fixed broadband speeds are expected to rise to around 50 Mbps, wholesale bandwidth costs could fall by 17%, and more than 59,000 public institutions would gain access to high-speed internet.
The programme also includes digital skills training for 37,000 Nigerians, with women expected to account for 60% of participants.
Those ambitions extend well beyond the telecommunications industry.
Reliable and affordable broadband has become increasingly important to Nigeria’s digital economy, supporting financial services, education, healthcare, e-commerce and public service delivery. Expanding shared fibre infrastructure could make broadband deployment commercially viable in areas that operators have historically avoided because of high costs.
Yet the project faces significant risks.
The World Bank has classified its overall implementation risk as substantial, pointing to governance concerns, procurement challenges, institutional capacity constraints, inflation and foreign exchange volatility.
Obtaining right-of-way approvals remains another potential obstacle. Although more than 11 states have reportedly waived right-of-way charges, inconsistent policies and administrative delays across the country could still slow deployment.
Protecting the network after construction may prove equally difficult.
Supplying fibre and ducting materials, deploying infrastructure across challenging terrain, and preventing vandalism will all be critical to the project’s success.
The scale of that challenge is already visible.
Telecommunications operators recorded more than 155,000 fibre cuts across Nigeria during April and May 2026 alone. Over 54,000 of those incidents were linked to vandalism, highlighting the vulnerability of the infrastructure the government is now seeking to expand.
Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order, signed into law in June 2024, was introduced to strengthen the protection of critical digital infrastructure. But translating that legal framework into effective security across tens of thousands of kilometres of fibre will require coordinated enforcement from federal, state and local authorities.
For now, Project BRIDGE remains a bold vision with equally significant execution risks.
Its open-access model could reshape Nigeria’s broadband landscape by reducing duplicated infrastructure, lowering costs and extending internet access to millions of people. But before any of those benefits materialise, the newly formed SPV must secure financing, coordinate investors and contractors, and deliver one of the most ambitious fibre rollouts the country has ever attempted.
The company’s incorporation may mark the beginning of the journey. The harder task will be turning an ambitious blueprint into infrastructure that reaches every corner of the country.