Nigeria Approves Two High-Throughput Satellites to Reduce Foreign Infrastructure Dependence
Nigeria's federal government has approved two high-throughput satellites as part of a sovereign push to reduce the country's reliance on foreign digital infrastructure. The decision represents one of the most significant state-backed space infrastructure commitments Nigeria has made in recent years.
Nigeria's Satellites: an approval is not a satellite in orbit
NIGCOMSAT's existing satellite was launched in 2011 and, by the agency's own admission last year, only 7% of its broadband capacity was actually being used. That's the uncomfortable baseline behind today's announcement.
The approval is real. The partners — Thales Alenia Space and Israel Aerospace Industries — are credible. But contract finalisation hasn't started yet, and the launches aren't targeted until 2028 and 2029 at the earliest.
For founders and investors betting on satellite connectivity closing Nigeria's coverage gaps, the honest question is timing: what fills the gap for the next two to three years while these birds are still being built?
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- FG approves two new satellites to cut Nigeria’s reliance on foreign infrastructure · nairametrics.com · T2