The World Bank is scheduled to approve two significant loans totaling $750 million for Nigeria on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, according to official documents published on the bank’s website. The financing package includes a $500 million loan aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and a $250 million loan directed toward enhancing health security.
The $500 million loan will fund the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth in Nigeria (BRIDGE) project, which seeks to address broadband gaps by extending climate-resilient fiber optic infrastructure across underserved and rural areas. The project plans to expand Nigeria’s fiber-optic backbone from 35,000 kilometers to over 125,000 kilometers, with the federal government and private investors partnering through a Special Purpose Vehicle structure.
Complementing the digital initiative, the $250 million loan supports Phase II of the regional Health Security Programme. This aims to boost Nigeria’s pandemic preparedness, improve disease surveillance, and strengthen emergency response systems in collaboration with neighboring West and Central African countries.
The loans come amid increasing Nigerian borrowing from the World Bank, now accounting for nearly 40% of the country's external debt. While experts emphasize the potential of these projects to catalyze economic diversification, job growth, and public health improvements, concerns over debt sustainability persist.
Nigeria’s government and international partners remain optimistic that these loans will pave the way for transformative progress in technology and health sectors, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a more resilient, diversified economy.