Nigeria Must Control Its Digital Infrastructure: NITDA

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has emphasised the necessity for Nigeria to control its digital infrastructure, data, and technological future to achieve true digital sovereignty.

Malam Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General of NITDA, stated this in Abuja on Monday during the inauguration of a Technical Working Group (TWG) responsible for developing and building capacity for a national cloud infrastructure.

Inuwa highlighted that the initiative would attract hyper-scale investments and position Nigeria as a leading technology hub in Africa.

Today on NTA’s Good Morning Nigeria, @KashifuInuwa, the Director General of NITDA, discussed several key initiatives particularly in the digital economy, financial inclusion and the Federal Government’s partnership with Google to transform Nigeria into a global technology hub.… pic.twitter.com/odtClLUjXe

— NITDA Nigeria (@NITDANigeria) February 24, 2025

He explained that cloud infrastructure, which combines hardware and software elements such as computing power, networking, storage, and virtualisation resources, is essential for empowering cloud computing.

Inuwa stressed the need for accurate data and regulatory frameworks to support the initiative and ensure that the country does not host its data outside Nigeria.

“Our goal is to build an ecosystem where both local data centre providers can scale, and global hyperscalers see Nigeria as a viable investment destination,” he said.

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The NITDA D-G expressed regret that Africa, which comprises about 19 percent of the world’s population, has less than one percent of global data centres.

He attributed this to a lack of accurate data and limited insights into Nigeria’s existing IT capacity, which has hampered investment efforts.

To address this challenge, NITDA has embarked on comprehensive research to assess Nigeria’s digital landscape.

The findings highlighted the need for an improved regulatory framework, clearer investment incentives, and stronger public-private collaboration. NITDA has engaged global consultants to redefine strategies for cloud development.

As the TWG begins its mission, NITDA urges industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to contribute their expertise and resources to this initiative.

“With collective effort, Nigeria can emerge as the premier digital hub for West and Central Africa,” Inuwa said.

Mr. Emmanuel Edet, Acting Director of the Regulation and Compliance Department at NITDA, emphasised the importance of regulatory intervention in fostering a robust digital economy.

He noted that the objective is to establish policies and legal frameworks that support cloud development to securely host and manage data locally.

According to Edet, capacity building is crucial to developing the infrastructure and enabling the country to fully leverage the benefits of digital technologies.

The TWG will help attract hyperscale investments for cloud capabilities and suggest measures that encourage the use of accurate data, recommend the enactment of enabling policies, and ensure compliance.

Members of the TWG include representatives from Google, Amazon Web Services, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Oracle, Microsoft, HUAWEI Cloud, Equinix, Kasi, Rack Centre, Africa Data Centres, and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAN