Digital Infrastructure: Building for Scale, Investing for the Future

As Nigeria builds the digital systems needed to support a growing digital economy, the scale of infrastructure investment, connectivity and regulation will determine how far and how fast that transformation can go. Building for scale requires not only expanding infrastructure, but creating the conditions for long-term investment and ensuring that more people and communities can participate in the digital economy. This session brings together government leaders, regulators, investors, development partners and industry leaders to examine the state of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and what it will take to build and finance the systems of the future. The session opens with a keynote from the Honourable Minister, Dr 'Bosun Tijani, on The State of Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure, followed by a fireside conversation with Sam Darwish and Mohamad Darwish— Co-Founders, IHS Towers on the IHS story and the future of infrastructure investment in Nigeria. The programme will also spotlight Nigeria’s Digital Alphanumeric Postcode, while a one-on-one conversation with the Nigerian Communications Commission will examine the role of regulation in unlocking Nigeria’s digital infrastructure future. The session closes with a panel discussion on Financing Large-Scale Digital Infrastructure, bringing together African policymakers, the World Bank, industry and Project BRIDGE to examine the investment required to build digital infrastructure at scale.