The Federal Executive Council (FEC0 has approved the establishment of the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project, under a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) funding model.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Wednesday.

According to Tijani, the project, which complements Project Bridge (our 90,000km Fibre Fund), will aim to connect over 21 million people across 4,834 communities in Nigeria that lack the most basic mobile communications access, particularly in remote rural areas.

"Access to connectivity is a service that many of us take for granted, so delivering additional base stations to cater to unserved and underserved areas will ultimately contribute to improving the quality of life for more of our fellow citizens," he said.

The minister also revealed that the commitment to position Nigeria as a leading voice in Artificial Intelligence received a significant boost with the approval of the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trust by the FEC.

He said, "The National AI Trust, which will be the first of its kind globally, will consist of 10 AI experts as well as the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and the Honourable Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. Its mandate will be to mobilise resources, provide oversight and guide the development of AI in Nigeria. The Trust will also help future-proof our investment in AI across key sectors of the economy, in recognition of the transformative power of the technology in driving job creation and attracting foreign direct investment.

"As we continue to prioritise Connectivity Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence, these approvals are a further indication of the recognition by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of the importance of our sector to accelerating prosperity for our people."

He also revealed that further announcements on the approval will be made during today's FEC meeting in Abuja.