Nigeria has opened more than $6m in contracts under the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth Project, a World Bank-backed initiative to accelerate broadband rollout and strengthen the country’s digital economy.
This means the government has officially invited companies to submit bids or proposals for the projects. Firms will be evaluated on experience, technical capability, and cost before winning contracts are awarded and work begins.
According to the procurement plan document seen by The PUNCH on Tuesday, the contracts, covering July 2025 to December 2026, will fund advisory services, capacity building, and project implementation activities. These include financial and transaction advisory services, legal and regulatory compliance support, technical planning and infrastructure advisory, and training programmes for a fibre-optic workforce across the country.
The contracts are part of Nigeria’s wider efforts to build a nationwide fibre-optic network of 90,000 kilometres, which is intended to improve broadband access and support digital connectivity across all geo-political zones. Contracts will be awarded through a combination of national and international competitive procedures, following World Bank and Nigerian public procurement rules.
The procurement process will strengthen Nigeria’s digital backbone, accelerate the rollout of fibre networks, and create opportunities for local and international firms in advisory, consultancy, and technical training. The BRIDGE Project, identified as Project P508383, is central to Nigeria’s strategy to boost digital infrastructure, drive economic growth, and expand access to reliable internet services.
The BRIDGE project had received presidential approval for a special-purpose vehicle-led rollout. It was officially unveiled by Minister Bosun Tijani in August 2025 at a Lagos stakeholder event as the largest digital fibre investment in a developing nation.
The SPV incorporation was planned for the third quarter of 2025 to oversee deployment, with year one targeting 30,000 kilometres of fibre. By November 2025, the National Information Technology Development Agency confirmed on-track progress toward first-quarter 2026 delivery, while the World Bank tied a $500m loan to key milestones such as 25,000 kilometres of completion.
The project secured additional funding in February 2026, including a €2m grant from the European Union and $100m from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, bringing total international commitments to over $600m. Early implementation began with route design contracts, and the five-year rollout (2025–2030) aims for a 125,000-kilometre national backbone by 2027, targeting 70 per cent internet penetration through public-private partnerships.
