Benue leads as FG plans 1,989 telecom towers for 7 million Nigerians in rural areas

The federal government has unveiled an infrastructure roadmap to deploy 1,989 new towers across 436 local government areas (LGAs) identified as underserved. It forms part of the 3,700 telecom tower project aimed at closing the country’s digital divide and reaching communities that are outside network coverage. 

In a plan unveiled on Friday, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the project would be implemented under the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project (NUCAP), an initiative designed to bridge the country’s digital divide.

For millions of Nigerians living in rural areas, access to network and internet services is hard to reach. With this, leveraging digital financial services, online education, telemedicine, or emergency response during fire or health crises is hindered by poor mobile network coverage. 

Recognising that deploying a single telecom tower in a rural settlement isn’t cost-effective for mobile network operators (MNOs), the 3,700-tower deployment forms a critical intervention to bridge the connectivity gap. It also comes amid the federal government’s ambition to record a $1 trillion economy by 2030. 

Also read: FG targets 6 months to fund solar-powered, community-owned telecom towers in rural Nigeria.

With this deployment as its initial phase, the Minister pointed out that it’s starting with Abia State. Also, the project map revealed on the FMCIDE’s website showed that Benue State is positioned among the top-priority beneficiaries.

What you should know about the 1,989 telecom towers 

According to the analytics dashboard showing the planned infrastructure metrics for extending telecoms and broadband connectivity across the targeted regions in Nigeria, the project targets 436 LGAs that currently lack adequate coverage. On average, each of these LGAs will receive 4.6 towers.

The planned 1,989 towers will directly connect 2,232 rural settlements, averaging about 1.1 settlements served per tower. Upon completion, the network expansion is expected to bring network and internet access to 7.05 million people, with 3,547 people per tower. 

Regarding how the telecom towers will be sited, the analytics show that each settlement will be 350 meters away from the nearest tower, with the furthest resident being no more than 4 kilometres away. 

For most rural areas, access to stable electricity to power the cell towers for maximum hours is significantly unreliable. And to keep these towers running reliably off-grid, the FG will deploy 12,051 kilowatt-peak (kWp) of solar power capacity.

The initiative marks a defining point for farmers in rural Nigeria as they now gain real-time access to digital market prices, electronic payment systems, and weather forecasting tools. In terms of safety considerations, establishing connectivity for underserved communities is expected to enhance security agencies’ communications. 

Upon completion, the deployment will be marked as one of the largest public network interventions in West Africa, which brings Nigeria to the top of digital inclusion initiatives. 

Also read: NCC: Telecom operators deployed 2,800 new and upgraded towers in 2025.  

Benue gets the largest allocation of planned towers

The deployment, which is the initial phase, targets the most underserved communities in Nigeria. Out of all 37 states (including the FCT Abuja), only three states are not on the map: Lagos, Akwa Ibom and FCT Abuja. 

Benue State leads with 179 towers expected to be deployed, followed by Bauchi (163), Niger (141), Kaduna (113), and Kebbi (104). 

Leading local government areas with the most settlements as beneficiaries of telecom towers are Katsina-Ala (Benue) – 29; Wasagu/Danko (Kebbi) – 24; Ukum (Benue) – 23; Gamawa (Bauchi) – 20; and Ganjuwa (Bauchi) – 19. 

States	Expected Towers	States	Expected Towers	States	Expected Towers
Abia	3	Enugu	13	Niger	141
Adamawa	102	FCT Abuja	0	Ogun	28
Akwa Ibom	0	Gombe	46	Ondo	36
Anambra	8	Imo	2	Osun	23
Bauchi	163	Jigawa	81	Oyo	50
Bayelsa	15	Kaduna	113	Plateau	78
Benue	179	Kano	33	Rivers	10
Borno	83	Katsina	92	Sokoto	93
Cross River	27	Kebbi	104	Taraba	76
Delta	20	Kogi	55	Yobe	98
Ebonyi	11	Kwara	37	Zamfara	85
Edo	25	Lagos	0
Ekiti	17	Nasarawa	42