FG Begins Deployment of 3,700 Telecom Towers in October to Bridge Connectivity Gap

The federal government has announced it will begin the deployment of about 3,700 telecommunications towers across Nigeria from October 2026, as part of a major push to expand network coverage and connect more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved and unserved communities.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this while outlining the administration’s digital infrastructure agenda, stating that the tower rollout is one of the government’s most ambitious connectivity projects aimed at bridging Nigeria’s digital divide.

According to the minister, the project, which had taken months of planning and capital mobilisation, has now reached the implementation stage following President Bola Tinubu’s approval.

“It has taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” Tijani said.

He explained that the towers would provide telecommunications services to millions of Nigerians who currently have no access to mobile network coverage, particularly those in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

The minister said the deployment would complement the Federal Government’s broader broadband expansion programme, which includes the rollout of 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure across the country.

“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks, we should start to lay that fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” he said.

Tijani noted that the fibre project would extend to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly improving broadband penetration and internet quality nationwide.

“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.

The minister attributed the progress to several policy reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments for telecom operators and efforts to harmonise multiple taxes affecting the industry.

“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr President has given us quite several things that the sector has long been demanding. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested,” he stated.

According to him, these reforms have strengthened operators’ financial position and contributed to the increasing role of the digital economy in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is now approaching 21 per cent.

Beyond telecommunications infrastructure, Tijani disclosed that the Federal Government plans to launch Nigeria’s new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, saying the initiative would assign unique digital addresses to every property in the country, thereby improving logistics, e-commerce, emergency response and public service delivery.

However, the planned deployment builds on the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project (NUCAP), under which the Federal Government had earlier announced plans to install 3,700 “green” telecommunications towers to extend connectivity to more than 20 million Nigerians in rural and riverine communities. The project is expected to leverage environmentally sustainable infrastructure while supporting digital inclusion, financial services, healthcare, education and economic opportunities in previously disconnected communities.

The tower rollout also complements Project BRIDGE, the Federal Government’s flagship broadband initiative, which seeks to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable nationwide to strengthen Nigeria’s digital backbone. The initiative is expected to improve network quality, reduce connectivity gaps and accelerate broadband penetration as Nigeria pursues its digital economy targets.