Nigeria is trying to bridge internet inequality and boost access by cutting expensive red tape

Nigeria’s long-held ambitions of boosting local internet access and speeds largely depend on making it easier for internet providers to operate outside the country’s largest cities.

With major undersea cable projects typically landing in Lagos—the coastal urban center that doubles as its economic hub, there’s a clear gap with internet access and connection quality compared to more interior states. But the government is hoping a temporary policy change will play a role in bridging the gap: it is waiving charges for laying fiber optic cables on federal highways until December 2022.

In theory this should make it significantly cheaper for internet providers to lay down cable infrastructure along major highways across the country. The move could play a key role in helping to meet the targets of Nigeria’s national broadband plan which aims for 90% coverage of the population by 2025 and download speeds of at least 25 Mbps in urban areas (10 Mbps in rural areas).

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