Country: Nigeria
Current Position: Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy
Sector: Digital Infrastructure, Technology, Telecommunications, Innovation
Leader Category: Government / Economic Transformation
Why Project Herald Is Watching Him
Nigeria’s digital economy is entering an infrastructure-heavy phase, and Dr. Bosun Tijani is one of the government officials at the centre of that transition.
Since becoming Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Tijani has pursued an agenda that goes beyond technology policy. His portfolio increasingly involves the development of physical and institutional infrastructure required to expand connectivity, digital services, artificial intelligence, digital skills and technology-driven economic activity.
The clearest example is Project BRIDGE, the government’s planned nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure programme.
Project BRIDGE is designed to deploy at least 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure through a public-private partnership structure. The Federal Ministry estimates implementation at approximately $2 billion, with financing expected to combine development-finance debt and private-sector equity. The Nigerian government is expected to hold a minority stake in the project.
The scale of the programme makes Tijani’s portfolio particularly relevant to businesses, investors, technology companies, infrastructure contractors and development-finance institutions watching Nigeria.
The Capital Behind the Strategy
The digital infrastructure agenda has also begun attracting substantial development-finance capital.
In February 2026, the Federal Ministry announced approval of a $100 million investment from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Project BRIDGE. This was in addition to $500 million in financing from the World Bank Group.
In April 2026, the African Development Bank approved another $200 million loan for Nigeria’s Digital Value Chain Infrastructure for Boosting Employment (D-VIBE) project, which includes the deployment of 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre and expansion of Nigeria’s backbone from approximately 30,000 kilometres toward 120,000 kilometres. The programme is intended to reach all 774 Local Government Areas and connect schools, health facilities, agro-industrial zones, rural communities and commercial centres.
This accumulation of development-finance commitments is important because it moves the digital infrastructure agenda beyond policy announcements and into a more structured financing and implementation phase.
From Policy to Implementation
The next question is therefore not simply whether Nigeria intends to expand digital infrastructure. It is how quickly the capital, procurement structures, partnerships and physical deployment will translate into infrastructure on the ground.
The Federal Ministry stated in May 2026 that fibre deployment under Project BRIDGE, alongside new telecommunications tower rollouts, was expected to commence before the end of the year.
The government has also announced a target to deliver at least 1,000 telecommunications towers in rural communities during 2026, within a broader programme involving 3,700 approved towers.
Meanwhile, Project BRIDGE has moved into transaction and implementation preparation, including the appointment of transaction-advisory support.
Why This Matters Commercially
For Project Herald, the significance of Tijani’s leadership is not limited to the technology sector.
A nationwide fibre build-out can create demand across several layers of the economy, including:
Telecommunications infrastructure
Fibre and network equipment
Civil works and infrastructure deployment
Engineering and technical services
Project management and advisory services
Financing and transaction structuring
Digital public infrastructure
Data centres and cloud infrastructure
Digital skills and technology services
The wider implication is that connectivity infrastructure can become an enabling layer for other sectors of the Nigerian economy.
What We Are Watching Next
Project Herald will be watching the transition from financing and structuring into physical deployment.
Key signals include the establishment and operation of the Project BRIDGE SPV, further financing commitments, procurement and vendor appointments, commencement of the initial fibre deployment, tower rollout, private-sector participation and the emergence of additional infrastructure requirements around the national digital backbone.
The timing of these developments will be particularly important.
A programme of this scale can create commercial opportunities well before the final infrastructure is completed.
Project Herald Assessment
Why he is on the Leaders to Watch list: Tijani is overseeing a portfolio where policy, public infrastructure, development finance and private-sector participation are converging around one of Africa’s largest digital infrastructure markets.
Key signal: Project BRIDGE has progressed from strategic planning toward financing, transaction structuring and implementation.
Opportunity area: Digital infrastructure, telecommunications, engineering, advisory services, financing, technology and associated infrastructure.
Key risk: The scale of the programme means that financing, procurement, institutional execution, right-of-way issues and deployment capacity will determine whether the announced infrastructure translates into actual nationwide coverage.
What Project Herald is watching: The movement from committed capital and project structuring to procurement and physical deployment.
Related Intelligence: Project BRIDGE — Nigeria’s Nationwide Fibre Infrastructure Programme. https://www.theprojectherald.com/intelligence/project-bridge-nigeria-90000km-fibre-infrastructure/
Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project (NUCAP) : https://www.theprojectherald.com/intelligence/nucap-nigeria-universal-communication-access-project/
Project BRIDGE — $1.2bn Private Capital Mobilisation for Nigeria’s National Fibre Network: https://www.theprojectherald.com/intelligence/project-bridge-1-2bn-private-capital-mobilisation-for-nigerias-national-fibre-network/