The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to bring at least 200 new telecommunications sites into operation before the end of December 2026. The move forms part of a broader effort to expand connectivity to underserved and unserved communities across the country.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, made the disclosure on Monday during the commissioning of the new headquarters of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in Abuja. He stated that the sites belong to the government’s National Unconnected Communities Access Programme (NUCAP), which aims to deploy approximately 3,700 telecommunications towers nationwide.
“Before December, at least 200 of those sites will be active,” Tijani said.
He explained that each tower is expected to serve communities of roughly 5,000 to 10,000 people who currently lack adequate telecom access. Once fully implemented, the programme is projected to reach more than 20 million Nigerians.
The first tower under the initiative has already been deployed at Kura village near Abuja, with rollout now extending to communities in the Niger Delta. The project follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu to extend telecommunications services to areas still disconnected from the country’s digital infrastructure.
Tijani clarified that the NUCAP tower deployment is distinct from the Federal Government’s planned 90,000-kilometre nationwide fibre-optic network. For locations that remain beyond the reach of fibre or terrestrial towers, the government is also working to strengthen satellite connectivity through the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT).
The connectivity push sits within wider reforms in the digital economy. Tijani noted that the information and communications technology sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP has risen from about 16 percent to 21 percent over the past three years.
These infrastructure investments aim to close longstanding access gaps, support economic activity in rural areas, and advance Nigeria’s broader digital inclusion goals.
