Execution Gap and Poor Coordination Slow Nigeria’s Fibre Expansion Drive Despite Project BRIDGE Push
Nigeria’s ambitious push to expand its digital infrastructure is facing significant setbacks as stakeholders point to poor coordination, fragmented implementation, and weak execution across government and industry. Despite initiatives like Project BRIDGE, designed to roll out over 90,000 kilometres of fibre, progress remains slower than expected.
At the eighth Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFO) in Lagos, industry leaders highlighted long-standing barriers such as right-of-way disputes, duplicated infrastructure projects, and misalignment between federal, state, and local authorities. They warned that the gap between policy formulation and real-world execution continues to widen at a time when fibre connectivity is critical to economic growth.
Convener of the forum, Omobayo Azeez, said Nigeria’s digital infrastructure plans show ambition but suffer from implementation challenges, including fibre cuts, delayed coordination, and inconsistent infrastructure planning. Telecom leaders also stressed that the National Dig-Once Policy, introduced in 2022 to reduce repeated road digging, has yet to achieve meaningful impact due to weak enforcement and uneven adoption across states.
President of ATCON, Tony Emoekpere, noted that while Nigeria has strong policy frameworks, execution remains inefficient and often duplicative. He added that repeated road excavations increase operational costs and damage infrastructure, while ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo pointed out that competition among operators also limits infrastructure sharing, even when it could reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Stakeholders further raised concerns about conflicting regulations, excessive permit delays, and lack of a unified infrastructure database. Experts from FibreOne, ipNX Nigeria, and Equinix warned that these inefficiencies not only slow fibre rollout but also threaten Nigeria’s competitiveness in emerging digital sectors like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and fintech. They urged stronger coordination between government and private players to unlock the full economic potential of broadband expansion.
source: The Guardian