The federal government aims to fund community-owned telecommunications towers in rural solar-powered

联邦政府设定六个月目标，为社区共建电信塔及农村可再生能源网络筹集资金

联邦政府已设定一个为期六个月的目标，旨在为零连接社区的社区共建电信塔和由可再生能源（太阳能）供电的农村网络筹集资金。这是扩大欠发达地区可持续基础设施整体努力的一部分。

多方合作与资金分配机制

根据尼日利亚通信委员会（NCC）在尼日利亚数字连接投资论坛上通过的决议，该论坛与Swedfund和Ookla合作，确定将通过与普遍服务提供基金（USPF）、各州政府和农村电气化机构（REA）的合作，获取农村自有铁塔的资金支持。

尽管联邦政府仍将设备可负担性作为重点目标，但其希望继续扩大尼日利亚农村地区的覆盖范围。此前曾宣布，针对欠发达社区的3,700座铁塔部署计划将于10月启动，并计划在2026年12月前部署200座。

资金将由各方共同投入：USPF负责电信侧的资金，包括零连接社区的铁塔、基站、小基站、回传链路和核心网；REA则负责能源组件的资金，如太阳能微电网、电池和太阳能板，以为铁塔供电。各州政府则提供土地、安保以及通行权（Right of Way）。

社区所有权模式与监管支持

Under the plan, the facilities will be community-owned. This means that rather than being 100% owned by mobile network operators (MNOs) or governments, communities form cooperatives to maintain facilities, share revenue and ensure their sustainability. REA often adopts this model in its rural electricity user cooperatives.

In fact, the NCC and REA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2025/2026 specifically to coordinate projects from both sides to promote rural connectivity initiatives. Experts pointed out that the USPF should receive endorsement from regulators as the main source of funding for projects in underdeveloped regions, with complementary support from public and multilateral funding.

Bridging the usage gap: From connected to available

At the same time, the federal government still needs to address the usage gap in rural areas of Nigeria. According to NCC data, mobile broadband has covered about 90% of Nigeria people, but the smartphone ownership rate is only 27%, and the broadband penetration rate is 57.4%, which has not reached the 70% target. Equipment affordability, insufficient digital skills and gender segregation are major constraints.

While there are connectivity expansion initiatives aimed at reducing access costs in rural communities, such as shared rural networks, satellite services to unmodified mobile phones, micro-wiring, solar rural sites, and local device and SIM card manufacturing, these measures do not eliminate users 'need for affordable equipment.

Calls for accelerating the construction of telecommunications towers and BRIDGE projects

Accelerate the construction of national optical fiber backbone networks

At the Digital Infrastructure Investment Forum, stakeholders asked the federal government to accelerate the delivery of the "BRIDGE Project"(a 90,000-kilometer national optical fiber backbone network) as a strategic move to address the gap in mid-tier connectivity. Previously, the federal government revealed through Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, that the project will begin deployment in October and is expected to be rolled out in phases over five years (2026-2030).

Optimize the policy environment and financing structure

In addition, the forum encourages relevant government agencies to promote complementary measures to improve the availability and reliability of digital infrastructure power supply, maintain policy consistency, and support financing structures that reduce industry capital costs.

The forum also highlighted the need for long-term financing solutions that match the life of digital infrastructure, as its asset lives are 20 to 30 years and cannot be financed through a five-year bank loan term. This need is particularly urgent as Nigeria's infrastructure financing grows from less than 70 billion naira in 2004 to 19.4 trillion naira in 2025. [TAG

Telecom operators, infrastructure and technology companies are also encouraged to pursue shared infrastructure and neutral host models to reduce the cost of rural and indoor coverage. This includes combining every coverage investment with measures to give users access to affordable devices, including locally manufactured devices and local SIM cards.