Ogun’s Own Delivers Again: Minister Bosun Tijani Marks Major Milestone with Incorporation of Bridge Open Access

Nigeria has reached another major milestone in Project BRIDGE with the formal incorporation of Bridge Open Access (Bridge OA), the Special Purpose Vehicle set up to execute the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure initiative to date. The announcement came from Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and it is one worth celebrating loudly here at home.

For the Ogun tech community, this news carries special weight. Dr. Tijani is an indigene of Ogun State, hailing from Itoko in Abeokuta South Local Government Area. He had his secondary education at Abeokuta Grammar School before going on to the University of Jos, Warwick Business School, and the University of Leicester, where his doctoral research focused on building innovation ecosystems for developing countries. That grounding, first in Abeokuta and later across the world’s leading institutions, is now shaping the digital future of an entire nation.

Long before he became a federal minister, Tijani built a name for himself as a technology entrepreneur and innovation ecosystem builder, co-founding Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) and championing tech hubs, talent development, and digital infrastructure across Africa. That same DNA, building foundational systems that others can plug into and grow from, is at the heart of Project BRIDGE.

Project BRIDGE is designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of open access fibre optic infrastructure across Nigeria, expanding the country’s national fibre backbone to roughly 120,000 to 125,000 kilometres and extending connectivity to all 774 Local Government Areas, along with schools, hospitals, and underserved communities. It is a wholesale, open access model rather than a retail network, meaning mobile network operators, internet service providers, and enterprise customers will be able to build on top of it on non-discriminatory terms. The project has already attracted major backing, including $500 million from the World Bank Group, $100 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, $200 million from the African Development Bank, and additional EU grants supporting digital public services and technical talent development.

With Bridge OA now formally incorporated, the initiative moves from design and financing into execution, with construction expected to begin within weeks.

For those of us building in Ogun’s growing tech ecosystem, whether through coding academies, startups, or founder communities, Dr. Tijani’s journey and this latest milestone are a reminder of what is possible. A son of Abeokuta is now laying the digital backbone for over 200 million Nigerians. That should inspire every young developer, founder, and creative in our state to keep building.

Congratulations to Dr. ’Bosun Tijani and the entire Project BRIDGE team on this achievement. Ogun is proud.

Guest Contribution by Oluwaseun Adekanmi | @creativeseun