Federal government has set 2028 and 2029 as target years for the deployment of two new communication satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, to strengthen national security, intelligence gathering and regional connectivity.
NIGCOMSAT Managing Director Mrs Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen confirmed that the tender process had closed and the project was now in the financing and implementation stage.
“For 2A and 2B, we have started the process. We have closed the tender and are now back into the financing and implementation stage. 2A is built to come up in 2028, and 2B for 2029,” she said.
The satellites are expected to support real-time data collection and intelligence for security agencies, both within Nigeria’s borders and in neighbouring countries.
“When they are up and running, they are expected to provide security within the borders and neighbouring countries. They will support the security agencies because data collection and intelligence in real time is important,” Egerton-Idehen added.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Bosun Tijani described the project as a clear demonstration of presidential commitment to national development.
“The president’s approval of NIGCOMSAT-2A and 2B demonstrates a clear commitment to building the future. These satellites will enhance security, connect remote communities, and extend our fibre-optic network into neighbouring countries,” he said.
Tijani noted that some neighbouring nations currently pay up to ten times more for internet capacity than Lagos, and the new infrastructure would improve connectivity, border security and regional collaboration.
A representative of the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kennedy Osemwegie, said the Nigerian Army would continue to leverage space assets for intelligence gathering, surveillance and operational coordination.
The planned satellites will complement ongoing investments in fibre-optic cables and telecom towers extending into Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Benin.
