Africa’s digital future got a significant boost as Nigeria’s Project BRIDGE team met with top African Union leadership in Addis Ababa to advance a continent-wide connectivity agenda.
By Chioma Obinagwam
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, held discussions with H.E. Lerato Mataboge, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Confiance News gathered that the engagement centred on strengthening the AU’s participation in Project BRIDGE, Nigeria’s $2 billion open-access fibre initiative currently being positioned as a pan-African digital infrastructure vehicle.
What was discussed
According to the post made by the Minister on his official X handle on Friday, the energy component of Project BRIDGE dominated early conversations, with both sides agreeing that sustainable power infrastructure is critical to the project’s long-term viability. Beyond fibre, Confiance News reports, the talks expanded into broader investment opportunities across the continent, with a focus on unlocking connectivity, driving innovation, and accelerating economic growth through digital means.
Artificial intelligence (AI) also featured prominently. The two sides examined Africa’s readiness to harness AI opportunities, identifying shared compute infrastructure and foundational investment as urgent priorities for the continent.
On the horizon
Both parties reviewed preparations for the upcoming Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and ICT, a forum where African nations will advance a collective digital transformation agenda. The meeting also addressed Africa’s positioning within the International Telecommunication Union ahead of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026, scheduled for Doha, Qatar. A unified African voice in the leadership elections was identified as a strategic priority.
The Addis Ababa talks signal growing momentum behind Nigeria’s ambition to anchor Africa’s digital infrastructure agenda at the continental level.
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