Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030 is increasingly tied to one foundational question: can the country secure, scale, and sustain the digital systems that now underpin growth across sectors?
At the centre of this challenge is Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), the digital backbone powering Nigeria’s economy, governance, and innovation ecosystem.
Consider this: Nigeria’s fiber network is undergoing massive expansion, led by the government’s Project BRIDGE, a $2 billion, 90,000 km fiber optic backbone initiative under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to achieve universal ICT access by 2025-2030, complementing existing infrastructure and increasing private sector participation for better internet access and lower costs for ISPs.
Major players like MTN (FibreX) and Airtel already offer services, with new deployments aiming to bring fiber points closer to homes, transforming the digital landscape.
But when you read headlines such as;
- Over 50,000 telecom infrastructure destruction cases reported in five years, notes the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
- Vandalism caused over 30% of network outages in 2023, reports Techeconomy.
- Operators spent ~N14.6 billion fixing damages in 2023 alone, reports Vanguard News.
They simply show that as the economy becomes more digitised, CNII is no longer a technical consideration; it is a strategic economic asset.
Digital Infrastructure as Economic Infrastructure
Nigeria’s fastest-growing sectors; fintech, telecoms, e-commerce, logistics tech, and the platform economy, are built entirely on information infrastructure.
Fibre networks, data centres, cloud platforms, payment switches, and internet exchange points form the rails on which value moves.
Any disruption to these systems, whether through vandalism, cyberattacks, or regulatory gaps, has immediate economic consequences. For a country targeting exponential GDP growth, CNII reliability directly affects productivity, investor confidence, and competitiveness.
Financial Systems and the Cost of Downtime
Digital payments and financial switching platforms now process trillions of naira annually. These systems are classified as CNII because a failure would paralyse commerce, delay wages, disrupt trade, and erode trust in the financial system.
Protecting CNII is therefore not just about security, it is about economic continuity. A $1 trillion economy requires financial infrastructure that operates at scale, with minimal downtime and strong cyber resilience.
CNII and the Scale-Up of Nigeria’s Digital Economy
Nigeria’s digital economy has been one of the most resilient growth drivers in recent years. But scaling from a growth engine to a trillion-dollar contributor requires reliable nationwide connectivity; secure data hosting and processing, and interoperable platforms across sectors.
CNII provides the framework that allows digital businesses to scale without systemic risk. Without it, growth remains fragile and uneven.
e-Governance, Revenue, and State Capacity
Beyond the private sector, CNII underpins Nigeria’s e-Governance ambitions. Digital identity systems, tax platforms, customs, land registries, and social services all rely on protected information infrastructure.
For government, CNII enables:
- Improved revenue collection
- Reduced leakages and fraud
- Faster service delivery
- Better policy data and planning
In an economy where public revenue mobilisation remains a challenge, CNII strengthens state capacity, an often overlooked but critical factor in economic expansion.
Investment Signal to Global Capital
Global investors increasingly assess digital infrastructure resilience before committing capital. Countries with clear CNII frameworks send a strong signal of regulatory maturity and long-term stability.
This matters for Nigeria’s efforts to attract hyperscale data centres, cloud service providers, fintech and digital finance investors, and digital services exporters.
CNII protection reassures investors that their assets and operations are secure from systemic disruption.
Industrialisation, AI, and the Next Growth Phase
As Nigeria moves toward smart manufacturing, agri-tech, energy tech, and AI-driven services, dependence on secure information infrastructure will deepen. Emerging technologies require low-latency networks, reliable data storage, and resilient systems.
CNII ensures that Nigeria’s next growth phase, driven by automation, data, and intelligence, rests on a stable foundation.
The Economic Cost of Infrastructure Vulnerability
Vandalised fibre cables, data centre outages, and cyber incidents already cost Nigeria billions in lost productivity annually. In a trillion-dollar economy race, such losses are not marginal, they are structural.
Strengthening CNII protections reduces economic shocks and improves national resilience, making growth more sustainable rather than episodic.
CNII as Economic Policy, Not Just Security Strategy
The key shift Nigeria must make is to treat CNII as economic policy, not merely a security or ICT issue. This requires coordination across regulators, security agencies, and the private sector to enforce CNII designation and protection, improve incident response and accountability, and align infrastructure expansion with national economic targets.
We are not ignorant of the fact that Nigeria has already issued an Executive Order on the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), signed by President Bola Tinubu and officially gazetted in June 2024.
The order, officially titled the “Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order 2024,” provides a robust legal framework to safeguard essential digital systems and networks across various economic sectors.
It aims to reduce incidents of damage, disruption, or interference with critical infrastructure, which has historically been a significant problem, particularly for telecommunications (telcos) which have suffered thousands of incidents of fiber cable damage.
However, we call for closer attention toward effective implementation and enforcement. If you look at recent Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC’s) report, 19,384 fibre optic cable cuts occurred across Nigeria between January and August 2025 alone.
The Commission deserves assistance by other agencies to ensure the purpose of CIIN Executive Order was achieved.
The average weekly attack rate on infrastructure was estimated at 1,744 incidents, including approximately 1,100 fibre cuts, 545 incidents of access denial, and 99 cases of equipment theft! This is alarming! Imaging waiting up in the morning to make a call and all networks are off because the diesel generator at a base station has been stolen.
Vandals target components such as fibre optic cables (for scrap metal), batteries, solar panels, and power cables to resell in black markets.
On the other hand, developments that come in the form of road construction and other civil engineering projects also contribute to frequent damaging of underground fibre cables, a recurring problem across various states.
There are reported cases of uncooperative host communities or local youths who were involved in deliberate destruction or access denial to sites.
We believe that,
Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy ambition will be decided less by rhetoric and more by infrastructure resilience. As the economy digitises, Critical National Information Infrastructure becomes the spine of growth, enabling scale, trust, and continuity.
For policymakers, investors, and operators, the message is clear: without strong CNII, Nigeria’s economic ambitions remain exposed; with it, they become achievable.
