World Bank is set to approve two loans totalling $750m for Nigeria on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, according to documents published on the bank’s official website.
The funding is directed toward strengthening health security and expanding climate-resilient digital infrastructure.
The package includes $500m for the Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth in Nigeria (BRIDGE) project and $250m under the Health Security Programme in Western and Central Africa, Nigeria – Phase II.
The BRIDGE initiative, led by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is designed to expand broadband access in underserved communities. With an estimated cost of $1.6bn, the project will be financed by a mix of concessional credit and private investment.
c minister, communications and digital economy, described the programme as central to Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“Over the past two years, we have worked tirelessly on what is arguably the most ambitious and foundational digital infrastructure project in Nigeria’s history, Project BRIDGE,” Tijani said in August while unveiling the technical design for a $2bn fibre-optic expansion plan.
According to him, the network will extend from 35,000 to over 125,000 kilometres, with seven national fibre rings, 37 city-level loops, 77 regional networks, and multiple edge data centres.
The rollout will be managed through a Special Purpose Vehicle in which the Federal Government will hold a 51 per cent equity stake.
The second facility, worth $250m, will be overseen by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Ministry of Finance. It aims to boost Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to pandemics and other public health emergencies.
The World Bank said the health programme would “strengthen regional surveillance systems and emergency response mechanisms” across West and Central Africa, citing lessons from COVID-19 and other recent crises.
Nigeria has received increased World Bank support in recent years. Data from the bank shows that $8.4bn in new loans have been approved for the country between June 2023 and August 2025, covering 15 projects in health, energy, education, governance, and rural development.
