Nigeria Targets $750 Million to Build Local Cloud and Data Infrastructure
September 2nd 2026
- Nigeria wants to attract $750 million in private investment in local cloud and data infrastructure over the next 24 months.
- The country plans to deploy 90,000 km of additional fiber under Project BRIDGE, expanding the national network from about 35,000 km to 125,000 km.
- Nigeria aims to build domestic AI capacity and cut its reliance on technologies developed elsewhere, while positioning itself as a regional digital hub.
Nigeria wants to attract $750 million in private investment in local cloud and data infrastructure over the next 24 months. The target complements the rollout of 90,000 km of additional fiber and supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strategy to turn Nigeria into a producer and exporter of digital solutions.
George Akume, secretary to the federal government, set out the ambition on Aug. 31 in Abuja at the GITEX 2026 Government Leadership & AI Summit. Nigeria wants to move beyond networks that merely provide Internet access and build the infrastructure it needs to store, process and use data and digital services locally.
Fiber remains the foundation
The 90,000 km fiber rollout forms the core of Project BRIDGE, which Nigeria launched in August 2025. The program aims to connect all 774 local government areas and expand the national network from about 35,000 km to 125,000 km.
To fund it, the project has secured a $500 million commitment the World Bank approved, with disbursements tied to stages of deployment. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union have also committed money. Alongside the fiber, the government plans to deploy about 3,700 telecom sites to extend coverage to more than 20 million people in underserved areas, and China Industrial Bank has committed to support the activation of at least 1,000 sites by the end of 2026.
These investments address a persistent weakness in Nigeria’s telecom market. Mobile networks provide broad Internet access, but fixed connectivity stays limited. Nigeria counted 154.7 million active Internet subscriptions in April 2026, against only about 265,000 fiber-to-the-home subscriptions.
BRIDGE should also let Internet service providers share infrastructure and reduce their reliance on incumbent operators’ networks, while providing alternative routes that improve network resilience. The economic case reinforces that rationale: BRIDGE projections indicate the program could create 20,000 direct jobs and more than 150,000 indirect jobs, while lifting GDP per capita by 1.5%.
The deployment nonetheless faces several challenges, including construction costs, vandalism and fiber cuts. Affordability also remains an issue: a fixed 5 GB package costs about 15% of gross national income per capita, well above the 2% threshold the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) sets. Meanwhile, Starlink adds satellite competition to the fixed-access market, with about 92,000 subscribers at the end of 2025.
From networks to local capacity
Nigeria’s next step adds infrastructure that can host and process data. Abuja therefore wants to develop local cloud and data capacity that can serve the Nigerian market as well as West Africa and the wider continent.
The strategy aligns with the theme of GITEX 2026, “Beyond Connectivity: The Bridge to Sovereign AI and Innovation.” For Kashifu Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria should treat artificial intelligence as strategic national infrastructure rather than a simple tool.
Nigeria therefore wants to control its own AI ecosystem instead of relying exclusively on systems developed in other jurisdictions. That approach requires the country to build its own systems and train them on Nigerian data. The government therefore wants to move beyond giving users access to digital services and develop the local capacity it needs to design and operate those services.
Data becomes a strategic issue
Nigeria’s strategy also rests on a stronger institutional framework. The NIMC Act 2026 elevated the National Identity Management Commission to a fundamental digital authority and established a legal framework for identity management and data sovereignty. Galaxy Backbone, meanwhile, remains the central operational agency for federal telecommunications and the protection of national digital assets.
Nigeria is also building the skills it needs to run this infrastructure. The 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program has recorded 1.87 million registrations across the 774 local government areas and has already trained more than 125,000 people in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software engineering.
The country must nonetheless ensure that operators can use the infrastructure effectively. Operators bear the costs of running telecom sites, some of which rely on diesel, while equipment prices and limited digital skills can constrain how fully they use the infrastructure.
Akume called on investors and innovators to build partnerships that would let Africa capture a share of its projected $1 trillion AI market by 2035. For Nigeria, the challenge now lies in converting its networks, data infrastructure and human capital into services that can meet demand in both domestic and regional markets.
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