The Federal Government has announced the launch of the National Broadband Alliance for Nigeria (NBAN) in Lagos to accelerate broadband expansion and drive socio-economic growth across the country.
NBAN was launched on Tuesday as multi-stakeholder initiative aimed to bring government, businesses, and industry partners, enhance internet access, increase usage, and promote digital inclusion.
During the launch of the initiative, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, represented by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, highlighted the crucial role of broadband in Nigeria’s digital economy, as stating it highlights with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The NBAN initiative is designed to bridge connectivity gaps, drive digital inclusion, and unlock economic opportunities through strategic public-private partnerships,” Tijani said.
He noted that while broadband penetration has increased from 6% in 2015 to about 42% in October 2024, challenges such as infrastructure deficits, underutilized fibre networks, affordability, and digital literacy remain barriers to full adoption.
To address these challenges, NBAN will aggregate broadband demand across key sectors such as education, healthcare, financial services, governance, and e-commerce, making broadband more accessible and affordable.
“Broadband is not just about connectivity; it is a catalyst for productivity, innovation, and economic diversification. Through NBAN, we will leverage digital infrastructure to enhance education, healthcare, financial services, governance, and e-commerce to make broadband more accessible and affordable.” the minister added.
He also disclosed that NBAN aligns with Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (2020–2025) and the ministry’s digital economy strategy, which targets 70% broadband penetration by 2025 minimum speeds of 25 Mbps in urban areas, 10 Mbps in rural areas, 80 per cent population coverage by 2027, and a 300–500 per cent increase in broadband investments.
He further revealed that “To achieve these targets, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved a Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV, to deploy 90,000 km of fibre backbone nationwide, ensuring that even the most underserved communities benefit from broadband services,” he explained.