August 26, 2026
By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor
If the timeline set by the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT, for the deployment of its two new communications satellites remains on course, Nigeria’s broadcast and broadband sectors could be heading for a major capacity boom by 2028.
That prospect received a major boost at the weekend after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, approved the acquisition and deployment of NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, a next-generation satellite programme estimated at about $2 billion.
The significance of the FEC approval goes beyond giving the project a government stamp of approval. As the Federal Government’s highest executive decision-making body, the Council’s approval provides the political and administrative authority needed to move a project of this financial and strategic magnitude from planning and procurement into implementation. It gives the relevant ministries and NIGCOMSAT a firm government mandate to proceed with contract finalisation, financing arrangements, technical planning and engagement with the selected technology partners.
