Many Nigerian communities face significant barrier in digital literacy – Minister Tijani

The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has pointed out that there are still millions of Nigerians on the fringes of digital transformation who are yet to have access to reliable digital connectivity.
The Minister spoke at the Industry-Focused stakeholders’ engagement session of the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF in Lagos on Thursday.
The engagement was themed ‘Fostering Connectivity in Unserved and Underserved Communities: Collaborating for Sustainable Growth’.
He noted that over the last 25 years, Nigeria has made significant strides in expanding connectivity and strengthening its digital technology infrastructure.
He also said that in recent years, broadband penetration has been growing significantly, bringing millions more Nigerians online and enabling new opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion.
He, however, pointed out that there are still millions of Nigerians on the fringes of digital transformation who are yet to have access to reliable connectivity.
“Many communities—particularly rural areas—face significant barriers, including inadequate infrastructure and limited digital literacy. These gaps not only hinder personal and business growth but also limit the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy,” the Minister said.
He said that the USPF has been a critical instrument in the Federal Government’s mission to extend connectivity to these communities.
The Minister said the Federal Government, through his ministry, is also actively driving transformative projects aimed at unlocking digital opportunities for millions of Nigerians.
He highlighted Some of the government’s flagship initiatives to close this divide to include, Project BRIDGE (90,000km Fibre Optic Expansion), Project 774, the Universal Access Project; the National Broadband Alliance of Nigeria (NBAN) and the 3 Million Technical Talent programme ( 3MTT).
However, the Minister said that bridging this digital divide is not a task for the government alone, adding that it requires strong partnerships across the public and private sectors, development agencies, civil society, and local communities.
He said to ensure effective collaboration, stakeholders must focus on pillars such as Community Engagement,
Leveraging Existing Infrastructure.
He noted that access to the internet could only be beneficial when people have the skills to use it productively, which according to him, makes capacity building very important.
He said the future of connectivity in Nigeria must be economically and environmentally sustainable.
“We stand at a defining moment in Nigeria’s digital transformation. We have the vision, the policy framework, and the will to connect every Nigerian to the digital economy. But we need your partnership to explore alternative innovative ways to deliver on all elements of our plans.
“Together, with a clear focus on investment in last mile connectivity, capacity building and infrastructure development as well as the creation of policies that enable the rapid deployment of digital infrastructure, we can achieve universal access to communications and digital literacy for all Nigerians by 2030,” he stated.
Many Nigerian communities face significant barrier in digital literacy – Minister Tijani