Nigeria has been listed among the key beneficiaries of the European Union’s (EU’s) €150bn funding support for infrastructure development through its Global Gateway initiative, which will be disbursed across Africa by 2027.
The Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Massimo De Luca, who gave this hint during a media chat in Lagos, explained that the initiative focused on digital transformation, climate and energy, transport, education, research, and health sectors.
He said: “The EU has projects in Nigeria and the region. Between 2021 and 2024, we implemented about €700m in cooperation in Nigeria alone. Global Gateway is a massive initiative, amounting to €300bn in financing, mostly for Africa but also for Latin America and Asia.”
According to him, unlike traditional aid programmes, the Global Gateway initiative prioritises investment, adding that “instead of just providing technical assistance, we focus on investments. These investments can come from either the private or public sector, as long as they are sustainable in the long term.
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“We are not just giving grants or contracts. For a project to be viable, there must be a loan or equity, ensuring that someone is financially committed”, De Luca added.
He pointed out that part of the role of the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Nigeria was to attract investors, stressing that “EuroCham aggregates European investors already present in Nigeria, helping to identify priority projects.”
De Luca further hinted that the EU had been supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation strategy on three key areas, namely deploying 90,000 km of fibre optic cables, establishing e-governance systems, and developing digital skills.”
While maintaining that the EU and other partners are looking at ways to spur private sector participation in the nation’s digital transformation drive, including a mix of grants and loans, De Luca clarified that Federal Government would establish a special purpose vehicle, but the funds must come from private investors. We he said.
On the issue of E-governance, De Luca said: “We are working on protocols and infrastructure—software and hardware—to ensure interoperability in public administration.”
Similarly, he highlighted the EU’s partnership with GIZ on the Digital Transformation Centres programme, noting that Lagos is at the heart of this initiative, with a programme management unit and a digital skills hub at the University of Lagos called NitHub.
De Luca also disclosed that the EU aligned with the Federal Government’s ‘Three Million Technical Talents’ initiative.
He said: “We organise peer-to-peer activities to develop skills and progressively align with Minister Tijani’s agenda – 3MTT. We are looking at how we can certify skills through international certifications backed up by practical experience in the hubs that we support and through other mechanisms.”
