The Nigerian Government has taken a major step towards strengthening its digital economy with the signing of three landmark regulatory instruments and the presentation of the National Cloud Investment Strategy.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja, brought together key stakeholders from government, regulators and the private sector, with the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, leading calls for the development of Nigeria’s sovereign digital infrastructure as a foundation for economic transformation.
Speaking after the signing of the National Cloud Computing Guideline, the National Cloud Technical Guideline, and the National Digital Infrastructure Assurance Framework (NDIAF), Abdullahi said; “the country’s growing reliance on digital technologies has made it imperative for Nigeria to maintain control over its critical data and digital infrastructure.”
The DG described cloud infrastructure as a strategic national infrastructure that underpins digital government, financial services, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital trade, innovation, and national economic resilience.
He said, “Today’s signing marks our transition from policy development to implementation. These instruments provide the regulatory certainty, technical standards, and assurance framework required to build a trusted cloud ecosystem that safeguards Nigeria’s digital sovereignty while creating new opportunities for investment, innovation and sustainable economic growth.”
He stressed that achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy would require accelerated digitalisation supported by robust local infrastructure.
“We cannot talk about building a one-trillion-dollar economy without digitalising the economy, and we cannot digitalise the economy without building our own infrastructure, ensuring data sovereignty, operational sovereignty and cloud sovereignty,” he said.
Abdullahi argued that Nigeria must avoid over dependence on foreign-controlled digital infrastructure, warning that disruptions such as submarine cable cuts or outages at international cloud providers could severely impact banking services, healthcare, agriculture and other critical sectors.
He explained that developing local cloud infrastructure would enhance national resilience while positioning Nigeria as a digital gateway for West and Central Africa.
According to him, “the initiative presents opportunities for global hyperscale cloud providers to establish infrastructure in Nigeria and jointly develop the African digital market.’
“The objective is not protectionism. It is about building with us, for us, while creating opportunities for global technology companies to invest in Nigeria,” he said.
Abdullahi described the newly signed frameworks as only the beginning of a broader implementation process, emphasising that success would depend on effective execution rather than policy documentation alone.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, described the signing ceremony as more than a regulatory milestone, saying it reflects Nigeria’s collective determination to strengthen digital sovereignty, enhance resilience and protect critical national infrastructure.
Represented by the Director of Payment System Policy, Rakiya Yusuf, he noted that the concept of financial stability has evolved beyond traditional banking indicators such as capital adequacy and liquidity to include the resilience of digital infrastructure.
According to him, payment platforms, automated teller machines, internet banking, cloud services, cybersecurity systems, communication networks and digital identity platforms now constitute essential components of Nigeria’s financial infrastructure.
He warned that disruptions to digital infrastructure could halt economic activities and expose the financial system to significant operational and legal risks.
According to him “It was against this background that the Central Bank of Nigeria issued its data localisation circular for financial institutions on June 25, 2026,”
He stressed that the initiative was not intended to isolate Nigeria from the global digital economy but to strengthen confidence in the country’s financial system.
He also commended the collaboration between NITDA, the CBN, government agencies and private sector organisations, describing coordinated regulation as essential for managing increasingly interconnected digital systems.
“Modern digital regulation cannot succeed through isolated regulatory actions. it requires coordinated collaboration and institutional focus. It is very, very important that we all consider this gathering this day to be part of important in our nation’s digital economy.
“We have a $1 trillion economic desire. The president of the federal government has already put this in force as his vision, and it is achievable,” he noted.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare described the initiative as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s pursuit of digital independence and stronger national data governance.
According to him, data has become one of the most strategic assets of any sovereign nation, making its storage, processing and protection central to national security, economic stability and public trust.
Gagare said the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative would ensure that sensitive government information remains within Nigeria’s jurisdiction under local operational control while supporting regulatory compliance.
He said; “The formalisation of the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative underscores our resolute commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s data borders. By ensuring the government data remains strictly within national jurisdiction and under local operational control, we are not only guaranteeing data sovereignty and regulatory compliance, but we are also laying a robust foundation for an agile, secure and modern digital government infrastructure.”
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting implementation across ministries, departments and agencies.
