The Federal Government of Nigeria has extended the application deadline for the National Digital Economy Research Clusters under Project BRIDGE to April 27, 2026.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the extension in a statement shared on X, citing strong interest from academic and research institutions across the country.
The research initiative, valued at N12 billion, was first unveiled in November 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy through research-driven innovation.
Tijani urged universities, vice-chancellors and research leaders to take advantage of the extended deadline to submit their expressions of interest through the official portal.
The programme forms part of Project BRIDGE (Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth), a government-backed initiative supported by the World Bank aimed at expanding Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
As part of the broader project, the government plans to deploy over 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone nationwide to improve connectivity.
Officials said the research clusters are designed to ensure that Nigeria’s digital transformation is guided by data, local insights and evidence-based policy, rather than external models.
