The Nigerian Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to provide internet access to 20 million citizens currently excluded from the digital economy, leveraging the country’s sovereign satellite asset, the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat-1R). This crucial initiative forms a central pillar of the nation’s broader strategy to bridge the vast digital divide, particularly between urban centres and remote, underserved communities.
The announcement, recently emphasized by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, confirms the government’s dual-pronged approach: combining terrestrial fiber infrastructure with high-capacity satellite communication. The Ministry estimates that approximately 20 million Nigerians still lack basic access to the internet, severely limiting their participation in the growing digital ecosystem.
Satellite and Fibre Synergy
The core of the strategy relies on utilizing NigComSat-1R, which officials note remains significantly underused despite its strategic national importance. Currently, the satellite’s commercial broadband capacity utilization is reportedly low, presenting a vast, untapped resource for mass connectivity deployment.
Speaking at a recent stakeholders’ engagement, a representative from the Ministry confirmed that the plan is to beam internet capacity directly from the satellite to locations inaccessible or uneconomical for ground-based networks. This satellite capacity will work in tandem with the ongoing expansion of terrestrial fiber. The government is committed to rolling out approximately 90,000 kilometres of fiber-optic network across the country, alongside the deployment of several thousand new communication towers in the most remote areas.
This hybrid model combining satellite ubiquity for distant coverage and fibre speed for aggregation and core network stability is seen as the most effective method to ensure equitable connectivity for the “unserved and underserved” populations.
Driving the Digital Economy
The drive to connect 20 million new users is not merely a social service; it is a vital economic imperative aligned with the goals of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020-2025/2027), which aims for an ambitious 80% national broadband penetration.
The expansion is poised to unleash transformative potential across critical sectors. For the healthcare industry, improved connectivity will underpin the expansion of telemedicine and AI-powered diagnostic platforms, addressing the severe national shortage of medical personnel, particularly in rural areas. Telemedicine initiatives, such as MySmartMedic, were highlighted as platforms that require this ubiquitous connectivity to thrive.
Furthermore, the access drive will significantly boost online education, e-governance service delivery, and financial inclusion by enabling digital public services and fintech platforms to reach previously excluded segments of the market. The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) is actively pursuing an aggressive commercial strategy, targeting N8 billion in revenue over the next three years through expanded broadband services and collaborations with private sector partners to commercialize its idle capacity.
