By Mercy Peter
The European Union has announced a €22 million grant to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support the Federal Government’s large-scale fibre-optic deployment under Project BRIDGE.
The support has been described as a major boost to Nigeria’s digital infrastructure drive.
The grant will be on-granted to the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and complements an €86 million sovereign loan from EBRD’s own resources, subject to final approval in the coming weeks.
The signing coincided with the visit of EBRD President, Odile Renaud-Basso, marking the bank’s first high-profile sovereign operation in Nigeria since the country became a shareholder last year.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, described the funding package as a significant milestone in the government’s push to expand broadband penetration and strengthen Nigeria’s digital backbone.
“We recognise this signing as an important part of our efforts to deliver Project BRIDGE on time. I am particularly grateful for our ongoing cooperation with the EU, and their commitment to a higher level of engagement this year.
We look forward to ensuring that 2026 will be a year of delivery on this and other areas of cooperation with the EU,” he said. Renaud-Basso expressed delight at concluding the arrangement during her visit, noting that the technical cooperation is designed to catalyse private-sector investment and deliver inclusive, resilient and cyber-secure connectivity nationwide.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, emphasised that digital transformation has emerged as a strategic pillar of EU-Nigeria relations.
“Both Nigeria and the European Union share the critical importance of trusted and resilient networks, with the highest level of integrity and reliability, operating at the highest international standards. This is a critical area for citizens and businesses alike where Nigeria is already fast becoming a world reference and a formidable country to partner with,” he said.
The €22 million grant will mobilise technical assistance and an investment component to accelerate project preparation and implementation capacity, including financing a Low-Level Design for the first 40,000 kilometres of the planned 90,000km fibre network.
The broader financing framework also involves the World Bank and the African Development Bank to support the establishment and capitalisation of a Special Purpose Vehicle with 51 per cent private-sector participation.
The EU grant will support route and crossing surveys, digitised planning, quality assurance and cybersecurity risk assessments aligned with EU digital standards, ensuring open-access compliance and secure connectivity.
It will also help train 2,000 technicians, provide targeted equipment subsidies, and support small subcontractors through pooled procurement mechanisms measures expected to reduce rollout costs by 20 to 30 per cent while strengthening Nigeria’s supply-chain capacity and encouraging participation of European technology vendors in the fibre-optic ecosystem.
