The Federal Government has announced plans to activate at least 200 new telecommunications sites before December 2026 as part of efforts to expand connectivity to more than 20 million Nigerians in underserved and unserved communities.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Monday while speaking at the commissioning of the new headquarters of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in Abuja.
Tijani said the 200 sites were part of a broader government programme to deploy 3,700 telecommunications towers across Nigeria, particularly in communities with limited or no access to telecom services.«“Before December, at least 200 of those sites will be active,” the minister said.»
According to him, each telecommunications tower is expected to serve communities with between 5,000 and 10,000 residents, meaning the entire project could provide connectivity to more than 20 million Nigerians.
He said the initiative followed a directive by President Bola Tinubu to extend telecommunications services to communities that remain disconnected from Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
Tijani disclosed that the first tower under the programme had already been deployed in Kura Village, near Abuja, while construction work had commenced in parts of the Niger Delta.
FG targets 90,000km fibre networkThe minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was investing in a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network as part of efforts to expand broadband infrastructure and improve internet access nationwide.
He added that President Tinubu had approved the upgrade of Nigeria’s communications satellite to extend digital connectivity to areas that cannot be reached by fibre optic cables or telecommunications towers.
“For places where fibre cannot reach, where towers cannot reach, NIGCOMSAT will now be able to reach those locations,” Tijani said.
ICT contribution to Nigeria’s GDP risesTijani said the contribution of Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product had increased to about 21 per cent, from between 16 and 18 per cent when the current administration assumed office.
He said the government was targeting a further increase to 25 per cent, stressing that expanding internet access must go hand in hand with digital literacy, cybersecurity and data protection.“As we bring more people online, we also have to ensure that we can protect them as well.
And that is why digital literacy, cybersecurity and data protection are all critical pillars of the growth of our digital economy in Nigeria,” he said.
NDPC licenses 356 data protection organisationsSpeaking at the event, the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, said the commission had licensed 356 Data Protection Compliance Organisations and contributed to the creation of more than 27,000 jobs within three years.
Olatunji said the NDPC had also generated more than N12bn in revenue during the period, while Nigeria’s data privacy and protection ecosystem was now worth over N18bn.
He added that the commission’s virtual privacy academy had enrolled more than 66,000 Nigerians, while over 220 training programmes had benefited 99,370 people across different sectors.
Earlier, the NDPC’s Head of People Management and Administration, Mrs Watira Fitto, described the commission’s new headquarters in Mbora District, Abuja, as a major milestone.She said the new facility demonstrated the commission’s growing capacity and commitment to institutional stability.
Fitto disclosed that the commission had moved four times in four years, progressing from fewer than three office spaces at NITDA to larger facilities in Maitama and Asokoro before relocating to its new headquarters, which has about 56 office spaces.
