The funding will go toward the Digital Value Chain Infrastructure for Boosting Employment (D-VIBE) project—also known as Project BRIDGE—which is designed to significantly upgrade Nigeria’s digital backbone and address long-standing connectivity gaps across the country.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, has seen its digital sector become an increasingly important driver of economic growth in recent years.

However, limited infrastructure, especially outside major cities, has continued to slow down wider digital adoption.

The D-VIBE project aims to tackle this by rolling out 90,000 kilometres of new open-access fibre, expanding the country’s total fibre network from about 30,000 kilometres to roughly 120,000 kilometres.

This expansion is expected to bring high-speed internet to all 774 local government areas, reaching schools, hospitals, rural communities, agro-industrial zones, and business centres.

The initiative will also strengthen regional connectivity by linking Nigeria’s network with neighbouring countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, supporting cross-border digital integration and trade.

Structured as a public-private partnership, the project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle, with private investors expected to take a majority stake.

This model is intended to overcome persistent challenges such as high construction costs and right-of-way issues that have historically slowed fibre deployment in Nigeria.

The African Development Bank’s contribution forms part of a broader $800 million sovereign financing package.

Other partners include the World Bank, which is providing $500 million, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with $100 million.

Total funding for the project is estimated at $2 billion, combining public financing, development partner support, and significant private sector investment.

Abdul Kamara, Director General of the African Development Bank Group’s Nigeria Office, said the project would unlock opportunities across the country by bridging the infrastructure gap.

“Nigeria has the talent, the market, and the ambition; what it has lacked is the backbone infrastructure to connect that potential to opportunity,” he said.

“From the north to the south, from farms to factories to classrooms, this investment will make high-speed connectivity a reality for every Nigerian community and give young people the tools to build their futures digitally.”

Beyond expanding infrastructure, the programme will also focus on improving access to affordable devices, building digital skills at scale, and supporting platforms in key sectors of the economy.

It will further promote policies around cybersecurity and competition, while incorporating renewable and hybrid energy solutions to improve system resilience.

Over its lifetime, the project is expected to create up to 2.8 million jobs and increase broadband penetration in Nigeria from about 45 per cent to nearly 70 per cent by 2030.

The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s long-term development strategies, including Vision 2050 and its National Development Plan, as well as broader continental priorities under the African Union’s Agenda 2063.