Nigeria locks in $126m European backing for Mission BRIDGE

Nigeria has secured its first main investments from European companions for its nationwide fibre-optic rollout, Mission BRIDGE, a key financing for the nation’s plan to broaden high-speed connectivity throughout all 774 native authorities areas. 

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Financial system, Bosun Tijani, introduced the event on Wednesday, February 25, after concluding a two-week funding tour throughout six European nations.

In an announcement on X, Tijani stated the Board of the European Financial institution for Reconstruction and Growth (EBRD) has authorised a $100 million funding in Mission BRIDGE, one of many lender’s largest commitments to Nigeria’s digital infrastructure sector. 

The approval provides to the $500 million already secured from the World Financial institution. 

The contemporary backing sends a powerful sign that main improvement companions think about Nigeria’s fibre growth commercially viable and strategically essential.

Tijani additionally disclosed that the European Union has signed a €45 million Digital Financial system Package deal for Nigeria. Of this, €22 million (roughly $26 million) is a grant for Mission BRIDGE, whereas €18 million is earmarked to enhance digital public companies, and €5 million will help the federal government’s 3 Million Technical Expertise Programme (3MTT) digital expertise programme.

“These approvals are deeply reassuring as we replicate on the exhausting work and air miles, throughout six nations in two weeks, to safe the partnerships required to deploy 90,000km of fibre throughout Nigeria,” he stated.

Mission BRIDGE goals to broaden Nigeria’s fibre spine from the present 35,000 kilometres to 125,000 kilometres, enabling nationwide high-speed connectivity and bettering the nation’s capability for digital companies, distant work, and AI-ready infrastructure.

The World Financial institution’s financing settlement, signed on December 30, 2025, is structured below a “pay-for-results” mannequin, that means funds will solely be launched when particular milestones are achieved. 

The primary tranche of $6 million is anticipated in 2026 for the setup of a Particular Function Automobile (SPV) to handle the undertaking. A second tranche of $155 million will comply with in 2027 as soon as the SPV turns into totally operational and the primary 5,000 kilometres of fibre are accomplished to technical requirements. Subsequent disbursements will probably be tied to reaching 25,000-kilometre and 65,000-kilometre deployment benchmarks.

Early technical groundwork is already in progress. On February 17, the Ministry awarded a ₦451.9 million ($335,000) supply-chain advisory contract to a consortium led by Bluechip Applied sciences Restricted, a Nigerian info expertise and consulting firm, to design the primary 40,000 kilometres of fibre routes.