Nigeria and the European Union have signed a €45 million agreement to support the development of Nigeria’s digital sector.
The programme aims to enhance cooperation between Nigeria and the EU on digital infrastructure, skills, and public services, the European Commission announced during the EU-Nigeria Digital Open Day held in Brussels on Tuesday.
A core component of the programme is support for Project Bridge, which seeks to deploy 90,000 kilometres of new fibre-optic cables across Nigeria — the largest such investment in the country to date.
The EU-Nigeria Digital Open Day in Brussels was organised to help European investors and suppliers access information about opportunities in Nigeria’s digital market, which includes what the Commission calls a “€1.7 billion flagship project” aiming to extend Nigeria’s total fibre network to 125,000 kilometres.
Nigeria’s digital economy already accounts for Africa’s largest e-commerce market, with 87 platforms employing nearly 3 million people, and is home to six of the continent’s eight so-called “unicorn” tech start-ups — businesses valued at over $1 billion.
The €45 million package forms part of a wider EU-Nigeria Digital Economy Package, launched in 2022 under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which pools funding from the EU, its member states, and European financial institutions for public and private investments in digital, energy, and education worldwide.
