Nigeria has secured a €22 million grant from the European Union to accelerate nationwide fibre-optic deployment under Project BRIDGE. The country also secured a €86 million loan package from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (EBRD).
Announced in Abuja on Wednesday, the grant will be channelled through the EBRD to the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. The financing marks the bank’s first major sovereign operation in Nigeria since the country became a shareholder last year.
Nigeria’s Communications Minister, Bosun Tijjani, described the agreement as a key milestone in delivering Project BRIDGE on schedule. He stressed that the country’s digital transformation depends on resilient and inclusive broadband infrastructure.
Speaking at the event, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso, said the financing package provides technical cooperation to attract private capital while ensuring secure and inclusive connectivity.
In her remarks, EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, highlighted the need for high-integrity digital infrastructure aligned with international standards.
Project BRIDGE aims to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable nationwide through a Special Purpose Vehicle, (SPV), capitalised by sovereign loans and private sector participation.
The €22 million EU grant will finance design work for about 40,000 kilometres of fibre routes, including mapping, surveys, planning and risk assessments to global standards.
Beyond infrastructure, the initiative will train about 2,000 technicians and support small subcontractors through pooled procurement and equipment subsidies to ease market entry and lower rollout costs.
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