Nigeria is set to spend $6.1 million on seven consulting firms and five individual consultants to support the rollout of its national fibre expansion drive, according to a procurement report released on March 17, 2026 by the World Bank. The engagements form part of the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth project, a $2 billion initiative designed to significantly scale up the country’s broadband backbone and improve nationwide connectivity.
The consulting contracts, which cover transaction advisory, legal compliance, technical planning, and capacity development, underline both the scale and complexity of the project, as well as the government’s reliance on external expertise. The initiative aims to expand Nigeria’s fibre-optic network from 35,000 kilometres to 125,000 kilometres, a move widely seen as transformative for internet access, digital services, and economic growth across the country.
Findings from the procurement plan show that the largest individual contracts are valued at $1.5 million each, including one already signed for transaction advisory services and another tied to the development of university-led digital economy research clusters. Additional roles span critical areas such as regulatory compliance, environmental and social impact assessments, supply chain strategy, and skills development, with several of the contracts still at various stages of procurement, indicating that the project remains in its preparatory phase.
Although modest relative to the overall project cost, the consulting spend is considered a crucial early investment, as large scale infrastructure projects typically require detailed groundwork before execution. The broader BRIDGE initiative has already secured over $1.1 billion in funding commitments from partners including the International Development Association, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Union, alongside domestic and private sector financing, with disbursements expected to be tied to measurable rollout milestones.