EU boosts Nigeria’s digital transformation with €45 million Global Gateway investment

The European Union has deepened its digital partnership with Nigeria through a new €45 million investment unveiled at the EU–Nigeria Digital Open Day in Brussels. Signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, the programme completes the EU’s €820 million Digital Economy Package for Nigeria under the Global Gateway strategy.

Commissioner Síkela said the new support reflects Global Gateway’s focus on skills transfer, open standards, and strong privacy and data-protection safeguards. He emphasised that the EU’s digital cooperation with Nigeria is designed to improve public services, expand connectivity, and equip young Nigerians with the skills needed for a fast-changing digital economy. Minister Tijani highlighted Nigeria’s ambition to position digital transformation as a driver of productivity and long-term investment, noting that Project Bridge offers a viable entry point for European businesses seeking to engage in Nigeria’s expanding digital infrastructure sector.

Supporting Nigeria’s largest fibre-optic investment
A central part of the programme is Global Gateway’s contribution to Project Bridge, an effort to deploy 90,000 km of open-access fibre-optic backbone across Nigeria. Backed by loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, the project represents one of the most substantial digital infrastructure investments in Africa. When complete, Nigeria’s total fibre network is expected to reach 125,000 km, making it the continent’s third-longest terrestrial system after Egypt and South Africa.

The EU’s €45 million grant will provide technical assistance, system design, local workforce training, and support for supply-chain deployment, with a focus on mobilising EU private-sector participation. The programme also aims to modernise Nigeria’s public administration with secure, user-friendly digital services and to strengthen Nigeria’s nationwide digital-skills initiatives, enabling more young people to become technicians, engineers and IT specialists capable of sustaining the country’s expanding infrastructure.

A broader Global Gateway strategy
The investments form part of the EU’s Global Gateway approach, which aims to close global infrastructure gaps through smart, sustainable and trusted partnerships. Between 2021 and 2027, Team Europe aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private financing to support digital, energy, transport, health, education and research sectors worldwide.