Digital Inclusion: EU Commits To 90,000km National Fibre-Optic Expansion Project In Nigeria

…To Loan NIMC €250mn to Strengthen Digital Udentity Infrastructure

ABUJA: The European Union has pledged support to the 90,000 km national fibre-optic expansion programme in Nigeria, including improvement of digital public services.

The project, encapsulated under the Global Gateway Strategy is committed to upskilling the ICT workforce through programs like the 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) initiative.

To this end, the EU has opened discussions with private sector players, especially in Lagos.

The collaboration is expected to ramp up investments to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy ecosystem.

At the breakfast meeting with the private sector, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, noted that the support of the private sector was invaluable for the digital infrastructure component of the country.

According to De Luca, the 90,000km expansion with the support of the EU, who will provide guarantees and
de-risking financial mechanism.

“Digital public services and digital entrepreneurship could also represent a good opportunity for all sectors, as there are many procurement systems that would allow both the EU and Nigeria private sector to be part of this journey in digital,” he said.

De Luca also explained that the European Investment Bank (EIB) has, so far, invested €100 million to expand secure 4G connectivity in Lagos and Ogun states.

According to him, the EU is also providing technical support to the rollout of the 90,000 km of fibre-optic cable infrastructure across Nigeria and aims to scale up its support to the Special Purpose Vehicle of the project, bringing connectivity to both urban and rural areas, as stated in the Nigeria’ Broadland Strategy.

“It also leads to improvement of the government interface with citizens and businesses, respecting high standards of privacy, safety and cybersecurity, while promoting an open internet and digital market. This creates opportunities for trusted vendors, he stated.

De Luca equally revealed that regarding the digitalisation of public services, the EIB will support the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) with a €250 million loan to strengthen Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure with the highest data protection standards.

“The EU is also providing technical support to the digitialisation of the Office of the Vice-President and discussing key areas of support with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) to allow start-ups and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to better enrol in business’ registration.

“With support for the skills necessary for businesses and citizens to make the most of the digital transformation, there would be more technical talent to be channelled to the Nigerian economy,” De Luca stated.

The EU has also committed to the creation and scaling up of tech start-ups and boosting of innovative solutions for Nigeria’s society and economy; supporting young graduates, MSMEs and start-ups.

To this end, the EU and Germany co-fund the Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) implemented by GIZ, promoting innovation-friendly ecosystems and new digital solutions. The EU is also funding the Nigerian Jubilee Fellowship Programme, which aims to train and deploy youths skilled with ICT onto the labour market and support the 3MTT initiative.

De Luca further explained that the EU supports the development of the skills for the emerging digital economy, with a focus on youth and women. “This is partially achieved by the €9.5 million grant to DTC project and partially, through a €45 million grant to the NJFP, providing on-the-job training for young Nigerians and channelling talent to Nigerian and EU companies across Nigeria.”

Speaking on the support that EU and Germany are providing to DTC Nigeria, Head of Project, GIZ- DTC Nigeria, Thuweba Diwani, said the initiative aims at creating an interface between the Nigerian private sector actors in the digital economy and the EU’s private sector actors.

“The EU supports development of regulatory frameworks with the highest standards of privacy, safety and cybersecurity, while promoting an open internet and digital market that upholds citizens’ rights. In particular, support was provided for the adoption of the Data Protection Law and to the Data Protection Commission, bringing the Nigerian standards closer to that of the EU and improving the enforcement capacity,” he said.