Among other investments, Nigeria needs 1.5 to 2 billion US dollars to ensure its complete optical fiber coverage. This is expected to help narrow the gap in internet quality and access in the country.

Bosun Tijani (photo), Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) taking place from Monday January 15 to Friday January 19 in Davos, Switzerland. He has made it his mission to establish partnerships for the implementation of two initiatives intended to improve the quality and coverage of the Internet in his country.

“  Our work as a ministry to strengthen our digital economy will be driven by connectivity. This is therefore a key priority for this government, which is also reflected in the “infrastructure” pillar of our strategic plan  ,” declared the minister.

Mr. Tijani announced last December that Nigeria needs to invest between 1.5 and 2 billion US dollars to install the 60,000 kilometers necessary to ensure complete fiber optic coverage. The Nigerian government is therefore looking to raise funds and work with “  serious companies  ” who can lay fibers over the next two to three years. Currently, Nigeria’s national fiber optic network is 35,000 km long.

Recall that Nigeria has 159.03 million Internet service subscribers, according to the latest statistics from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). The number of subscribers to high-speed Internet services stands at 86.9 million for a penetration rate of 45.57%. 

Source: Agence Ecofin