At the EU-Nigeria Digital Open Day in Brussels, a €45 million programme was signed between Nigerian Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela. This programme completes the EU Digital Economy Package for Nigeria and aims to strengthen cooperation between the two partners in the digital sector.
The European Commissioner highlighted that the Global Gateway initiative is focused on creating opportunities through skills transfer, open standards, data protection, privacy, and security, ensuring that digital technologies enhance human lives. The investment will support modern e-public services and prepare Nigeria’s youth for the digital economy. Nigerian Minister Tijani emphasized that digital transformation should drive productivity and growth, with Project Bridge providing a commercially sustainable platform for European investors and suppliers to deploy an open-access fibre network at scale, supported by Nigeria’s leadership in AI, digital public infrastructure, and the 3 million Technical Talents programme.
The €45 million grant will support Project Bridge through technical assistance for fibre-optic network design, local skills development, and supply chain deployment with EU private sector involvement. The programme will also modernize Nigeria’s public administration through secure, user-friendly digital services and provide targeted support for digital skills training to create a workforce capable of maintaining and innovating large-scale digital infrastructure.
Project Bridge, a €1.7 billion flagship initiative, is projected to deploy 90,000 km of fibre-optic backbone, extending Nigeria’s total fibre network to 125,000 km, making it the third-longest terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure in Africa after Egypt and South Africa. The EU-Nigeria Open Digital Day also served to inform European investors and suppliers about opportunities in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, fostering collaboration and investment.
Digitalization is a key priority of the EU-Nigeria partnership, reflected in the €820 million Digital Economy Package launched in 2022 under the EU Global Gateway strategy. Nigeria’s digital economy is a major driver of jobs, economic growth, and innovation, with Lagos hosting a dynamic ecosystem of incubators, digital platforms, and Africa’s largest e-commerce market, employing 2.9 million people. Six of Africa’s eight unicorns are Nigerian, underscoring the country’s leadership in digital entrepreneurship.
The Global Gateway strategy aims to reduce global investment disparities and support smart, clean, and secure infrastructure in digital, energy, and transport sectors while strengthening health, education, and research systems. The initiative uses a Team Europe approach, combining the European Union, EU member states, and European development finance institutions to mobilize up to €300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027, building essential links and closing the global investment gap.
