NIGERIA is preparing to make a major return to space-based communication as President Bola Tinubu approves the acquisition of two new communication satellites, a move the national government says will accelerate digital inclusion and strengthen the country’s push toward a $1 trillion economy.

The approval was revealed in Abuja by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, during an event marking Global Privacy Day 2026, organised by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC). While the gathering focused on privacy and data protection, it also became a platform to outline the administration’s broader digital transformation strategy.

“The president has now approved that we should procure two new satellites,” Mr Tijani said. “Nigeria today is the only country in West Africa with non-communication satellites. And we have been given the go-ahead to procure two new ones, ensuring that we can use that satellite to connect.”

Mr Tijani said the decision to procure new satellites reflected a shift in how Nigeria intended to build its digital infrastructure. He explained that although the country had invested heavily in telecoms and broadband, it still lacked operational communication satellites, which set it apart from its West African neighbours. The new assets, he said, would help close that gap and allow Nigeria to connect communities that remained beyond the reach of fibre cables and mobile towers.

According to the minister, digital technology was now being treated as a foundation for economic growth, rather than just a support tool. He said President Tinubu had made it clear that technology must play a central role in the drive to expand the economy to $1 trillion, especially as global commerce, education, healthcare and public services increasingly depended on digital platforms.

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Beyond space-based connectivity, the government is also advancing its massive 90,000-kilometre national fibre optic backbone project. Tijani disclosed that around 60 percent of the network had already been deployed, while funding for the remaining portion had been secured. He described the project as one of the largest digital infrastructure efforts in Africa and said it would dramatically improve broadband access once completed.

However, the minister warned that connectivity alone was not enough to build a sustainable digital economy. He stressed that trust must grow alongside technology, adding that citizens would only embrace digital services if they were confident that their personal data was protected.

He described the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) as a key institution in Nigeria’s digital journey, noting that the success of the technology sector depended not only on infrastructure and talent but also on strong governance and privacy safeguards. He recalled that President Tinubu demonstrated early commitment to this goal by signing the Nigerian Data Protection Commission Act into law shortly after taking office.

Tijani added that the government was also investing in digital skills, rural connectivity and institutional reforms to ensure that the benefits of technology are widely shared across the country.

A growing data protection economy

At the same event, NDPC National Commissioner, Mr Vincent Olatunji, painted a picture of a fast-growing data protection ecosystem in Nigeria. He said the sector had become a N16.2 billion industry, driven by stricter regulation following the enactment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.

According to him, compliance activities alone had generated more than N5.2 billion in revenue and created over 23,000 jobs nationwide, ranging from data protection officers and consultants to compliance auditors and legal experts.

Mr Olatunji revealed that regulatory oversight now spanned both public and private sectors. He said so far, 38,677 data controllers and data processors of major importance had been registered, alongside 307 licensed data protection compliance organisations.

He also disclosed that the commission had received 8,155 compliance audit reports and concluded 246 data breach investigations. These efforts have resulted in 11 enforcement actions, including fines and corrective measures against organisations that violated data protection rules.

Mr Olatunji said Nigeria’s improved data protection framework was already strengthening investor confidence, as independent data protection authorities were now a key requirement for cross-border business relationships. He noted that the NDPC had received international recognition, including the Picasso Award for Best Data Protection Authority in Africa, and was now a member of the Global Privacy Assembly and the Network of African Data Protection Authorities.