An investment deal worth €45 million of the EU Digital Economy Package for Nigeria was signed between Nigerian Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, in Brussels, Belgium.
This investment will further support the cooperation in the digital sector between Nigeria and the European Union, a press statement by the EU Mission Friday said.
“Global Gateway is about delivering new opportunities, and the EU-Nigerian cooperation in the digital area has a very strong potential to do exactly that.
“Our approach to digitalisation is based on skills-transfer, open standards, data protection, privacy and security. This way, we make sure that technologies truly enrich human lives,” it stated.
In his remark, Tijani said: “The EU – Nigeria digital economy corporation reflects our shared belief that digital transformation must provide a platform for growth in productivity driven by technology.”
The minister added that, “Combined with our leadership in Artificial Intelligence, Digital Public Infrastructure and programmes such as 3 million technical talents, Nigeria offers European businesses a market where talent, demand and policy alignment converge to support long-term investment and expansion.”
The Mission stated further that the programme includes a flagship Global Gateway support to the Project Bridge that aims to deploy 90 000 km of fibre-optic backbone across Nigeria.
The project is said to be the country’s most ambitious digital investment supported by loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank and African Development Bank.
The statement stressed that the EU programme will also contribute to modernise Nigeria’s public administration through secure, user-friendly digital services. It also emphasised that the programme targets support for Nigeria’s nationwide digital-skills programme, helping train a new generation of technicians, engineers and IT specialists.
It also emphasised that the programme targets support for Nigeria’s nationwide digital-skills programme, helping train a new generation of technicians, engineers and IT specialists.
