Project BRIDGE Gets $100M EBRD Investment Grant To Boost Nigeria’s Fibre Network

The Federal Government has secured a major push for its nationwide fibre-optic expansion as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a $100 million investment for Project BRIDGE, its ambitious connectivity initiative. The announcement came after a two-week investment tour across Europe led by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, who shared the update on his verified account on X.

The minister explained that the new funding adds to the earlier $500 million support from the World Bank Group, which had already backed the project. He confirmed that the EBRD’s board had now given full approval for the investment that will help expand fibre infrastructure across Nigeria. “As we conclude the final leg of our Project BRIDGE Investment Tour in Europe this week, following several extremely positive engagements, I am pleased to confirm the formal approval by the Board of the EBRD to proceed with a $100 million investment in Project BRIDGE,” he said.

Tijani added that the funding package includes €18 million earmarked for digital public services and €5 million for Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme. He described the approval as a reassuring milestone after what he called intense travel across six countries. “These approvals are deeply reassuring as we reflect on the hard work and the air miles, across six countries in two weeks to secure the partnerships required to deploy 90,000km of fibre across Nigeria, delivering meaningful connectivity to all Nigerians,” he noted.

Project BRIDGE, formally known as Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth, is central to Nigeria’s plan to boost broadband penetration. The initiative aims to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cables nationwide. It is being run through a Special Purpose Vehicle designed to attract private capital while encouraging long-term public-private partnerships. Because of the project’s scale, the federal government has continued to court global financiers, technology partners and infrastructure investors.

Why the Funding Matters Now

Nigeria has struggled to lift broadband penetration despite ongoing efforts under the National Broadband Plan (2020–2025). Industry data shows that coverage has hovered between 41.5% and 48.8%, leaving large parts of the population without reliable high-speed internet. Rural and underserved communities remain the most affected, and the gap continues to limit growth in online education, e-commerce, telemedicine and remote work.

The country set a target of 70% penetration by 2025, yet the goal has become increasingly difficult to reach due to infrastructure shortages. Therefore, officials believe that expanding fibre infrastructure under Project BRIDGE is essential for closing the connectivity gap.

With the latest $100 million approval and the earlier $500 million World Bank package, the government hopes to accelerate the rollout and push Nigeria closer to its broadband ambitions.