President Bola Tinubu has approved the procurement of two new communication satellites to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and support the administration’s ambition to grow the economy to $1 trillion.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at an event organized by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) in Abuja. Tijani said the move is aimed at addressing Nigeria’s current position as the only West African nation without active communication satellites.
Tijani stated:
“Nigeria today is the only country in West Africa with non-communication satellites. And we have been given the go-ahead to procure two new ones, ensuring that we can use that satellite to connect.”
He emphasized that digital infrastructure is central to President Bola Tinubu and his economic vision. The minister also said the government’s 90,000-kilometre fibre optic project is 60% complete, with funding secured for the remaining phases.
The new satellites are expected to complement the fibre network, particularly in expanding connectivity to underserved and rural areas. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 23.3 million Nigerians currently lack adequate access to traditional terrestrial networks.
Alongside infrastructure developments, the National Commissioner of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, reported significant growth in Nigeria’s data protection sector. He said the industry is now valued at N16.2 billion, driven largely by the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
Olatunji noted:
“The data protection ecosystem has grown into a N16.2 billion industry, generating N5.2 billion in compliance revenue and creating over 23,000 jobs nationwide.”
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