The Federal Government is set to launch a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the delivery of an additional 90,000km of fibre optic cable to complement existing connectivity for universal access to the internet across Nigeria.

An SPV is a separate legal entity created to achieve a specific goal or project. In this context, the SPV will manage the fibre optics project, overseeing its implementation, finances, and operations.

On Tuesday, Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, revealed this in a statement that the project would strengthen the national backbone for internet access and optimise the use of eight submarine cables already landed in Nigeria.

According to him, working with partners and stakeholders from the government and private sector, the SPV will build the additional fibre optic coverage required to take Nigeria’s connectivity backbone to a minimum of 125,000km, from the current coverage of about 35,000km.

Tijani stated that the ministry had, over the last few months, began the groundwork to set up the SPV, which would be modelled in governance and operations similar to some of the best public-private partnership setups in Nigeria, such as NIBSS and NLNG.

The minister explained, “This extensive coverage will enable us to optimise the unique benefit of having eight submarine cables already landed in Nigeria and, therefore, drive uptake of the data capacity that the cables offer beyond the current usage level of 10 percent.

“Building on our existing work with the Broadband Alliance, this increased connectivity will help plug the current non-consumption gap by connecting over 200,000 educational, healthcare and social institutions across Nigeria, ensuring that a larger section of our society can be included in the benefits of internet connectivity.

Through the project, Tijani said Nigeria would achieve the inclusion of at least 50% of the 33 million Nigerians currently excluded from access to the internet. It is also expected to deliver up to 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) growth per capita, raising GDP from $472.6 billion (2022) to $502 billion over the next four years.

Last week, Groupe Special Mobile Association revealed in a report that about 71 percent of Nigerians do not have regular access to mobile internet.

It was noted that Nigeria could add 15 million Internet users by 2028 with the right policy in place, adding that a broader digital transformation of the Nigerian economy was not possible without universal access to digital connectivity.

The report stated, “While 29 percent of Nigerians are regularly using mobile internet, there remains untapped potential; 71 percent are not accessing these services regularly.

“An improved policy environment has the potential to help the industry boost coverage and adoption, resulting in 15 million additional internet users by 2028. However, the sector faces challenges to infrastructure deployment”.