The Federal Government and World Bank are targeting about $3 billion dollars to fund additional 120,000km fibre optic cables to boost broadband infrastructures and connectivity in the country.

The project, which also involves stakeholders from the private sector, is expected to be delivered within three years.

Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who disclosed this at a stakeholders engagement, titled “Broadband For All”, organised by the Ministry of Communications, in conjunction with World Bank, stated that Nigeria has laid about 3,035km fibre optic cables, adding that about 120,000km fibre optic cables would be required for Nigerians to have quality and efficient access to the Internet and other digital services irrespective of their locations.

Tijani said it was expedient to seek investments in the nation’s Digital Backbone to facilitate access at affordable prices to the digital space for all Nigerians.

He said: ‘We are here with critical stakeholders on how to attract investments and fund our broadband infrastructures. I’m sure everybody that is listening to me probably understands that now we cannot do without technology on internet; so, we all need quality access, regardless of our location. There’s a need for us to invest in that databank. So it’s the kind of thing that we call the telecommunications infrastructure, or in some cases, we call the fibre optic cables. So there’s actually a cable that helped us make it possible for internet to happen.”