MCDF Grant Supports BRIDGE Project Preparation Aiming for Universal Broadband Coverage in Nigeria and Enhanced Regional Digital Connectivity

A USD2.62 million grant to support the preparation of Nigeria’s Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE) project, which will deliver it universal broadband and enhance regional digital connectivity, was approved by the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) Governing Committee during its meeting in Beijing on 23 June. The project will be implemented by the African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the World Bank.

The MCDF grant will fund comprehensive technical, financial, regulatory, environmental and social, and operational studies to facilitate prospective AfDB financing and AFC and World Bank cofinancing of the BRIDGE project, in line with International Financial Institution standards.

With MCDF’s upstream support, the BRIDGE project will expand Nigeria’s fiber optic network by 90,000 kilometers (km), up from 35,000km at present, to realize a continuous, open-access backbone and greater inland reach. This breakthrough will unlock the bandwidth utilization of Nigeria’s existing high-capacity global submarine fiber optic cables, which are currently only partially tapped.

Nigeria’s expanded fiber optic network will also strengthen digital connectivity with Cameroon, Niger, Chad (via a Trans-Saharan backbone), and Benin (via an additional cross-border link) and is expected to be Africa’s third-largest fiber network.

The network will enable the development of financial technology, cloud services, and the creative economy, fostering more inclusive digital growth in Nigeria and its neighboring countries.