INTRO

Last week marked a pivotal period in our preparations for the implementation of Project BRIDGE, our flagship fibre optic connectivity programme. With extensive stakeholder engagements and high-level strategic sessions, we made meaningful progress in laying the groundwork for a digital backbone that will unlock economic opportunities across Nigeria. Our activities reflect growing momentum around the Infrastructure pillar of our Strategic Blueprint, reinforcing our commitment to deepen broadband access, drive productivity, and include every Nigerian in the innovation economy.

TIMELINE

Monday, July 21 – Engaging the World Bank on Project BRIDGE 

• The Honourable Minister’s first official engagement in the week was a meeting with representatives of the World Bank and Project BRIDGE Project Implementation Unit (PIU). The World Bank Digital Team — who are the key partners with the Ministry on Project BRIDGE — were in Nigeria to engage with stakeholders and put modalities in place as we make significant progress in our plan to deploy 90,000km of fibre optic cable across Nigeria for improved connectivity. The World Bank team was led by Natalija Gelvanovska-Garcia, Senior Digital Development Specialist.

Tuesday, July 22 – Infrastructure Partnerships and Smart Systems

• Following a productive meeting on Monday, Dr. Tijani had a full session with an expanded team of the World Bank Digital Team to review all project documentation on Project BRIDGE as we approach full implementation of the initiative.
• After this meeting, the Honourable Minister hosted representatives of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to discuss the impact of the company’s digitalised highway monitoring, rapid emergency response, and intelligent monitoring and management system.

Wednesday, July 23 – Digital Innovation in Agriculture

• Dr. Tijani travelled to Lagos to attend the launch of Produce for Lagos and N500billion Offtake Guarantee Fund, an initiative of the Governor Babajide Sanwoolu administration aimed at boosting food security, reducing imports, and enhancing agricultural productivity across Nigeria. In his address at the event, the Honourable Minister stated the importance of ensuring that the entire offtake ecosystem in agriculture — comprising of farmers, aggregators, transporters, markets, and government — is digitally connected, coordinated, and intelligent.
• Back in Abuja, he accompanied Anshula Kant, Managing Director and CFO of the World Bank, on a courtesy visit to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as they engaged in conversations focused on developing Nigeria’s digital connectivity infrastructure through strategic partnerships. At the heart of their discussions was the World Bank’s strong support for Project BRIDGE — the development of a 90,000km fibre optic network across Nigeria. The project is foundational to unlocking the digital potential of every Nigerian, irrespective of geography. Others at the meeting were Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President; Mayank Goyal, Advisor, World Bank; and  Taimur Samad, Country Manager of World Bank.

Thursday, July 24 – Building DPI and Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation

• The Honourable Minister chaired the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Committee for the coordination and execution of a National Data Exchange Roadmap. The meeting had Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Adeladan Rafiu Olarinre, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy; and a representative of Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, Managing Director/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) in attendance.
• Next was a meeting with Yu Dunhai, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, who was in Dr. Tijani’s office to discuss ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and China, focusing on both country’s strengths and similarities. Both parties resolved to intensify efforts aimed at deepening capacity in our youth population and promoting initiatives with the potential to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.    
• Following this engagement, the Honourable Minister headed to Fraser Suites for the World Bank Roundtable meeting targeted at ensuring the smooth implementation of the roadmap for Project BRIDGE.