Tinubu Directs Installation of 3,700 Telecom Towers Across Nigeria

Tinubu Directs Installation of 3,700 Telecom Towers Across Nigeria
Secures Funding For 90,000km Fibre-Optic Network
Tijani said work on the fibre-optic project is expected to begin in October

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to commence the installation of 3,700 base towers across Nigeria as part of efforts to close an estimated 20 million digital access gaps.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Thursday, saying the President wants Nigerians to have access to telecommunications services regardless of their location.

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Tijani spoke at the formal launch and validation of the National Innovation Hub Standards Framework, organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The event was attended by stakeholders including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), European Union, Danish Government and the Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), who were urged to contribute to the successful implementation of the framework.

The minister said the Federal Government was building Nigeria’s digital future around three critical layers aimed at using technology to improve the lives of citizens.

He also highlighted the role of digital infrastructure in supporting Nigeria’s financial technology sector, noting that the country’s banking ecosystem had developed a strong interbank settlement system that had helped drive innovation.

“The banking community and CBN also did something that inspired me; for those who follow, they built Nigeria’s interbank settlement system, which is one of the best on the African continent,” Tijani said.

He said the strength of Nigeria’s digital financial infrastructure had contributed to the growth of fintech companies and improved banking services.

According to him, the government has also secured funding for the deployment of a 90,000-kilometre fibre-optic network across the country.

Tijani said work on the fibre-optic project is expected to begin in October, adding that its completion would make Nigeria’s network one of the longest fibre-optic networks in Africa.

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“By the time we’re done with the project, it’s going to be either the third or second longest fibre-optic network on the African continent, somewhere between what we have in South Africa and Egypt. And this is a project that will start in October,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, said the National Innovation Hub Standards Framework would create new opportunities for innovation hubs and start-ups across the country.

Abdullahi said the framework was designed to ensure that innovation ecosystems were deliberately developed and distributed more evenly across Nigeria.

“Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens in an ecosystem, and that ecosystem also doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design,” he said.

He added that the framework would help stakeholders become more intentional about creating environments that support innovation and entrepreneurship across different parts of the country.