FG To Projects 6 Months To Begin 90,000km Fibre-Optic Cable Infrastructure

Within the next six months, the Federal Government hopes to begin the planned deployment of 90,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cable throughout Nigeria.

This was revealed by Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, when outlining some of the accomplishments of the Ministry under his direction during the previous 12 months.

This suggests that any time between now and February 2025 might be the project’s launch date.

The project is aimed at increasing Nigeria’s backbone network from 35,000km to 125,000km by adding 90,000km of fibre-optic cable to the country’s national connectivity backbone.

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It is expected to enhance connectivity and improve the quality of telecom service in the country.

Tijani further disclosed that the funding partners, which include the World Bank, are finalizing arrangements for the project’s financing.

“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) FEC has approved the SPV that will deliver on this project, and our development funding partners are currently finalizing the SPV structure to ensure the aggregation of funding required for the effective deployment of the fibre-optic network.

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“Our target is for this deployment to start within the next 6 months,” the Minister stated.

Emphasizing the need for the project, Tijani noted that an improved quantity and quality of connectivity would create opportunities in the short and long term by stimulating a more vibrant digital ecosystem.

“By connecting more communities across the country, we will ensure that many more of our citizens can connect to the benefits of the digital economy,” he added.