(Ecofin Agency) - Nigeria aims to densify its national network of optical fiber in order to improve its broadband penetration rate. To that regard, it launched the national broadband plan.

Thanks to this public-private partnership initiative led by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council, 18,000 kilometers of additional optical fiber cable are to be deployed in the country.

The project was revealed on November 9, 2018, by Garba Shehu (photo), Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president on the sidelines of the fifth World internet Conference (WIC) launched two days earlier in Wuzhen, China.

He explained that "the goal is to, within four years, provide fibre connectivity to all 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria" to tap into internet’s potential in terms of job creation, improvement of various sectors like education and health as well as boosting the productivity of the public and private sectors.

The additional 18,000 kilometers of optical fiber should strengthen the national network which already has 38,000 kilometers of fiber.