Nigeria plans to launch two new satellites to reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure

NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B are the two new next-generation High-Throughput Communication Satellites whose acquisition and deployment have just been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of Nigeria. The project has been moved into its next phase of implementation, and the government is doing this in a bid to reduce foreign infrastructure dependence.

Stephen Kwande, Acting Head of Corporate Affairs at NIGCOMSAT, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. The agency, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, will oversee the satellites' implementation once the companies building them deliver them.

The satellites will be built through a partnership between France's Thales Alenia Space and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and they will also be the ones who will deliver them. The satellites are designed to improve internet and communications access particularly in areas where traditional telecom infrastructure is difficult or expensive to build.

The Managing Director and CEO of NIGCOMSAT's, Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, said the approval is an achievement for both the company and the country. She also credits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's leadership for getting the project to this stage. Recall that earlier this year, NIGCOMSAT indicated a target timeline of 2028 for NIGCOMSAT-2A and 2029 for NIGCOMSAT-2B.

Now that the FEC has approved the acquisition and deployment of the satellites, the next steps are to engage technology partners, finalize contracts, and carry out technical planning ahead of the manufacturing, launching, and deployment date.

Nigeria's push to acquire NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B is part of the country's efforts to replace its ageing NIGCOMSAT-1R satellite and expand satellite-based broadband access. Since 2024, NIGCOMSAT has sought global investors, partnered with Eutelsat on low-Earth-orbit services, and posted revenue growth from ₦650 million in 2023 to over ₦2 billion in 2025, and at the same time, it's also targeting ₦8 billion within three years through broadband expansion.