• Government to install 7,000 towers in poorly connected regions
• USPF and local operators to implement the project
• Goal is 80% national connectivity by 2027

Nigeria plans to connect 20 million unserved people to telecom services by installing 7,000 new towers in underserved areas. The initiative was announced by ICT Minister Bosun Tijani during the launch of a pilot site in Kura, near Abuja.

The project is supported by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and carried out in collaboration with local telecom operators. More than 2,000 rural communities with below-average coverage will be targeted.

The objective is to achieve 80% connectivity nationwide by 2027. Nigeria’s population was estimated at 228 million in 2023, according to the World Bank.

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), in its October 2024 report, ranked Nigeria as the African country with the largest mobile internet usage gap. About 120 million people remain offline, followed by Ethiopia with 100 million and Egypt with 55 million.

The project supports Nigeria’s broader goal of building a competitive digital economy. Improved telecom infrastructure is expected to enhance services such as connected agriculture, rural e-commerce, and digital administration. It may also attract private investment in newly connected areas.

As of early 2025, Nigeria had 107 million internet users, with a penetration rate of 45.4%, according to DataReportal.