Nigeria to spend $6.1m on advisers as $2bn fibre plan moves ahead

Nigeria will spend about $6.1 million on consulting firms and individual advisers to support the rollout of its national fibre expansion project, according to a World Bank procurement report released on March 17, 2026.

The contracts are part of the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE) programme, a $2 billion initiative designed to expand Nigeria’s broadband backbone and improve internet access across the country.

The advisory roles cover transaction structuring, legal compliance, technical planning and capacity development. The spending, though small compared with the total project cost, shows the early stage of the programme and the need for specialised expertise before large-scale construction begins.

Nigeria plans to increase its fibre-optic network from about 35,000 kilometres to 125,000 kilometres. The expansion, if completed, could sharply improve connectivity in a country where broadband access remains uneven and often expensive.

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According to the procurement plan, the largest contracts are valued at $1.5 million each. One contract for a transaction adviser was signed on February 20, 2026, while another, intended to support university-led national digital economy research clusters, began procurement in March and is still ongoing.

Other key advisory services are focused on implementation risks that have slowed similar projects in the past. A $750,000 legal and regulatory compliance contract was signed on February 19, 2026, to help navigate Nigeria’s complex telecom and infrastructure rules. Another $850,000 contract for technical planning and infrastructure advisory services, which began procurement in July 2025, has yet to be concluded.

Additional contracts include $750,000 for environmental and social impact advisory, $300,000 for supply chain and procurement strategy, and $150,000 for a baseline skills and capacity assessment alongside the design of a national training programme. Most of these engagements are still in procurement, suggesting the project remains largely in its preparation phase.

The plan also allocates $348,000 for five individual consultants supporting the BRIDGE implementation unit. A project coordinator contract was signed on September 30, 2025, while two roles, a legal and administrative manager and a network planning and technical lead, were cancelled. Recruitment for a procurement lead and a grievance redress specialist is ongoing.

The procurement process, covering July 2025 to December 2026, will be managed through the World Bank’s STEP platform, which tracks and monitors procurement activities to ensure transparency and compliance with international standards.

The advisory spending highlights the complexity of building a nationwide fibre backbone in Nigeria, where issues such as right-of-way charges, fragmented regulations and infrastructure gaps have slowed broadband deployment for years. Analysts say resolving these issues early could determine whether the project attracts the private capital it is counting on.

The BRIDGE programme has already secured about $1.123 billion in commitments from development partners. The World Bank’s concessional lending arm, the International Development Association, is providing $500 million under a pay-for-results model, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has approved a $100 million investment. The European Union has also contributed €22 million, or about $23.76 million.

On the domestic side, Nigeria’s federal government has approved a $1 billion loan for the project as part of its 2025/2026 borrowing plan. The government is also seeking at least $1.1 billion from private investors, while institutions including the African Development Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation and the Islamic Development Bank are in talks to participate.

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Funding from the World Bank will be released in stages based on progress. An initial $6 million disbursement is expected in 2026 to help establish a special purpose vehicle that will manage the project. Further funding will depend on milestones such as the rollout of the first 5,000 kilometres of fibre and later expansion targets that could reach up to 90,000 kilometres.

If implemented successfully, the BRIDGE project could become one of Nigeria’s largest digital infrastructure investments, helping to lower internet costs, improve rural connectivity and support the country’s growing digital economy.

However, execution risks, financing coordination and regulatory reforms will likely determine how quickly the fibre expansion moves from planning to deployment.