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The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) says its upcoming NigComSat-2A and 2B satellites will strengthen Nigeria’s security capabilities by supporting the tracking of criminals and providing more secure communication channels for military personnel operating in remote locations.
NIGCOMSAT Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, said the satellites would enhance technical support for Nigeria’s defence and security agencies, particularly in areas where existing communication infrastructure is limited or vulnerable to compromise.
Egerton-Idehen disclosed this during an interview on Sunrise Daily on Monday, where she identified satellite surveillance and secure communications as potential applications of the new space assets.
What NIGCOMSAT is saying
According to Egerton-Idehen, the NigComSat-2A and 2B satellites will provide capabilities that can support surveillance and the tracking of criminals, including in areas where conventional infrastructure is difficult to deploy.
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- “Satellite comes in, and we can track criminals with it. Surveillance is part of the things you can do with satellites,” she said.
She explained that satellite imagery, digital mapping and tracking technologies could be used for surveillance, depending on the technology and equipment available.
- “If there’s a digital map there, that means if there’s access to technology, of course there are things you can track and survey,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen also highlighted communication difficulties faced by Nigeria’s armed forces during operations in remote locations.
She said troops deployed to areas such as the Sambisa Forest can struggle to maintain contact with command and control centres, while available communication channels may also be vulnerable to compromise.
- “We have our armed forces or the people in the defence sector, and sometimes their biggest challenge is communication. You’re going to put them in Sambisa Forest to go and fight there, and there is no way to talk to command and control. That is very difficult,” she said.
- “And sometimes there is a way, but it’s not secure because it gets compromised, and they get compromised. That’s what we’re saying,” she added.
She said the new satellite capacity is intended to help address these gaps by providing the defence sector with communication tools that can operate at a larger scale.
Get up to speed
Nigeria’s plan to expand its communications satellite fleet has been in development for several years.
- In September 2021, NIGCOMSAT announced plans to acquire two additional satellites by 2025. Then-CEO Abimbola Alale said the High Throughput NigComSat-2 was expected to launch in 2023, while NigComSat-3 was targeted for 2025.
- By October 2022, the Federal Government had included N500.4 million for the acquisition of NigComSat-2 in its 2023 budget. At the time, NIGCOMSAT-1R, launched in 2011, had a 15-year design life and was expected to reach the end of that period in 2026.
- In November 2022, NIGCOMSAT said the proposed NigComSat-2 would support Nigeria’s emerging 5G ecosystem by providing backhaul capacity for telecom operators. The satellite was also expected to help extend 5G services to underserved areas and locations where terrestrial infrastructure was not economically viable.
However, by November 2023, the earlier launch targets had not materialised. Nairametrics reported that the planned 2023 launch of NigComSat-2 had not happened, while a budget provision for its acquisition had also not been implemented.
- In July 2024, the replacement programme was revived under Egerton-Idehen, with NIGCOMSAT seeking international collaborators and investors to support the development of two new satellites.
- By March 2026, the programme had progressed to the financing and implementation stage, with the satellites now designated NigComSat-2A and 2B. NIGCOMSAT said 2A was scheduled for launch in 2028, followed by 2B in 2029.
In August 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved the acquisition and deployment of NigComSat-2A and 2B, marking a major step in the project’s implementation.
What you should know
The satellite project comes as Nigeria continues to invest in expanding its terrestrial communications infrastructure and closing connectivity gaps across the country.
In August 2026, the Federal Government incorporated Bridge Open Access, the company established to deliver the planned 90,000-kilometre nationwide fibre-optic network under Project BRIDGE.
The $2 billion project is designed to expand open-access broadband infrastructure beyond Nigeria’s major commercial centres, improving connectivity across underserved parts of the country.
