The World Bank Group is seeking to attract up to $1.1 billion in private investment by 2030 to expand affordable broadband access to an additional 58 million Nigerians through a nationwide fibre-optic network under its Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE) Project.
The initiative is designed to change how Nigeria develops its digital infrastructure by combining public financing with private-sector investment, ownership and operations, reducing reliance on government funding alone.
In a report published on October 11, 2026, the World Bank Group said the first round of investor selection was expected to mobilise at least $156 million in private equity, with subsequent financing rounds potentially unlocking up to $1.1 billion by 2030.
The project aims to increase broadband coverage from 92 million people in 2025 to 150 million by 2030, extending reliable and affordable internet access to communities that remain underserved or disconnected.
The World Bank described BRIDGE as a new approach to digital infrastructure development, saying it would use a public-private partnership to build, own and operate a nationwide open-access fibre-optic network.
42 Million Young People Targeted
The project is expected to benefit an additional 42 million young people and 15 million women, potentially widening access to digital education, online employment, entrepreneurship and other economic opportunities.
It will also extend connectivity to millions of households, 38,800 public schools, 16,900 health facilities and 3,400 local government offices, according to the World Bank Group.
The expanded network is expected to improve access to online learning, healthcare information and public services while helping businesses reach customers, adopt digital tools and develop new revenue streams.
Speaking when the project was approved in October 2025, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mathew Verghis, said: “Access to fast and reliable internet will help to create more quality jobs for millions of Nigerian’s across all the 774 LGA’s in addition to improving the quality of essential services like education and healthcare.”
The project will deploy more than 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable, expanding Nigeria’s national fibre backbone from 35,000 kilometres to 125,000 kilometres, according to the World Bank’s original project announcement.
Private-sector Participation
Under the BRIDGE model, the nationwide network will operate on an open-access basis, allowing telecommunications operators and other service providers to use the infrastructure to extend coverage to more communities.
The structure is intended to encourage competition, reduce duplication of expensive infrastructure and make broadband expansion commercially viable in areas where investment has been limited.
The World Bank approved $500 million in concessional financing for BRIDGE in October 2025, against a total project cost of $1.6 billion. The financing structure includes expected private capital of $1.1 billion, with the network to be managed by a special-purpose vehicle that is majority privately owned and operated while the Federal Government retains a minority stake.
The latest investment projections form part of a broader World Bank Group effort to mobilise up to $5.79 billion in private financing for Nigeria during fiscal year 2026, spanning digital infrastructure, agriculture, small-business finance and domestic fertiliser production.
The institution said its approach combines policy reforms, investment platforms, risk mitigation and commercial financing to attract private capital into sectors facing infrastructure and funding constraints.
For Nigeria, the success of BRIDGE will depend on whether the planned investment translates into affordable connectivity, particularly in underserved communities, and whether schools, healthcare facilities, households and businesses can make productive use of the expanded network.
