The Federal Government has launched a new initiative to connect schools across Nigeria to reliable internet in order to improve digital learning and support the use of modern technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the country’s education system by expanding access to digital tools, improving teaching and learning methods, and ensuring that students across Nigeria are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in a technology-driven global economy.
The development was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to the statement, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, to work together to implement the nationwide connectivity plan.
The initiative was discussed during a high-level meeting in Abuja involving key stakeholders from both ministries, with the aim of strengthening collaboration and accelerating efforts to connect schools across the country to reliable internet infrastructure.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained that the initiative is designed to expand digital access across all levels of Nigeria’s education system, from primary schools to tertiary institutions.
He noted that the new programme builds on earlier efforts to improve connectivity in the education sector through the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), which previously supported broadband connectivity for universities and other tertiary institutions under a World Bank-funded project.
While that earlier effort helped several universities gain access to broadband connectivity, the minister said the progress slowed after the initial funding cycle ended, making it necessary to develop a renewed and expanded strategy.
Dr. Alausa said the current initiative seeks to revive and strengthen those earlier efforts while extending reliable internet access to more schools across the country.
“Connectivity is not limited to broadband fibre alone. It also involve telecommunications towers, satellite systems and other digital infrastructure required to provide reliable internet access across the country,” he said.
The government is currently implementing several major infrastructure projects to support the initiative, including the deployment of approximately 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic broadband infrastructure nationwide.
In addition, about 3,700 telecommunications towers are being installed, particularly in rural and underserved communities, while satellite capacity is also being expanded to improve nationwide connectivity.
Dr. Alausa said the goal is to ensure that schools across Nigeria are deliberately integrated into the country’s expanding digital infrastructure network.
“The objective is to ensure that as broadband cables are deployed and towers installed across the country, schools at every level are deliberately connected to the network. We are planning proactively so that as broadband cables are laid and towers deployed across the country, they are strategically connected to our schools from primary and junior secondary schools to senior secondary schools and all tertiary institutions,” he said.
The minister also revealed that several concrete steps have been taken to accelerate the implementation of the programme.
According to him, the governing council of the Nigerian Research and Education Network will be expanded to include representatives responsible for foundational and secondary education in order to improve coordination across different levels of the education system.
“As part of the outcomes, the governing council of NgREN will be expanded to include representatives responsible for foundational and secondary education, thereby strengthening coordination across the education system,” he said.
Two technical working groups have also been established to drive the implementation process. One of the groups will focus on connectivity for tertiary institutions, while the second will focus on foundational and secondary schools.
“These teams will coordinate planning, develop implementation strategies and ensure schools benefit from ongoing national connectivity projects,” Dr. Alausa said.
He expressed optimism that the first phase of the initiative could begin to produce visible improvements within the next three months as connectivity efforts expand across the education sector.
Dr. Alausa explained that improved internet connectivity will allow students and teachers to access digital learning platforms, global knowledge resources and emerging technologies that are increasingly shaping modern education systems.
“Improved connectivity will enable students and teachers to access digital learning platforms, global knowledge resources and emerging technologies, including AI tools that are increasingly shaping modern education systems,” he said.
The initiative is also expected to support ongoing reforms aimed at improving the integrity of national examinations by gradually transitioning major examinations to Computer-Based Testing (CBT).
According to the minister, digital learning centres connected through the programme will also function as CBT centres for national assessments.
“Our plan is that within the next two to three years, major examinations such as WAEC and NECO will transition fully to CBT similar to what is currently being implemented by JAMB,” he said.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, stressed that technology-driven education cannot succeed without strong digital infrastructure.
He noted that Nigeria already hosts about eight international submarine internet cables, which is the highest number on the African continent, but the major challenge remains distributing that capacity across the country.
“Most of the internet capacity enters Nigeria through submarine cables landing in Lagos, but without sufficient inland fibre infrastructure, that capacity cannot effectively reach schools and communities across the country,” he said.
Dr. Tijani explained that the ongoing national fibre expansion project covering about 90,000 kilometres is intended to address this challenge by ensuring broadband connectivity reaches all local government areas across Nigeria.
He added that the deployment of 3,700 rural telecommunications towers will also extend connectivity to underserved communities, many of which are located close to schools.
According to him, placing these towers near schools will help ensure that educational institutions directly benefit from the expanding digital infrastructure network across the country.
Both ministers reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to collaboration between the education and communications sectors in order to ensure that investments in digital infrastructure translate into improved learning opportunities for Nigerian students.
