The Federal Government says at least 200 new telecommunications sites will become operational before December as part of efforts to expand connectivity to underserved and unserved communities across the country.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Monday at the commissioning of the new headquarters of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission in Abuja.

Tijani said the 200 sites formed part of a broader government programme to deploy 3,700 telecommunications towers nationwide.

He said each tower was expected to provide connectivity to communities with between 5,000 and 10,000 residents, giving the entire project the potential to reach more than 20 million Nigerians currently without adequate telecom services.

According to him, the initiative followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to extend telecommunications services to communities that remain disconnected from the country’s digital infrastructure.

Tijani said the first tower under the programme had been deployed in Kura Village, outside Abuja, while work had also commenced in the Niger Delta.

He added that the government was investing in a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network to expand broadband infrastructure and improve internet access across the country.

The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had approved an upgrade of Nigeria’s communications satellite to extend coverage to areas that could not be reached by fibre optic cables or telecommunications towers.

He said the Information and Communications Technology sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had risen to about 21 per cent from between 16 and 18 per cent when the administration assumed office.

Tijani said the government was targeting a further increase to 25 per cent, adding that expanded connectivity must be accompanied by digital literacy, cybersecurity and stronger data protection.