The Nigerian Government has unveiled the National Digital Cloud Policy, a comprehensive framework aimed at accelerating investment in cloud computing and data-centre infrastructure.
According to a statement issued by the Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, the policy is part of the government’s broader digital economy agenda and seeks to expand local infrastructure capacity, create jobs, strengthen indigenous technology capabilities and modernise government service delivery.
The policy establishes four broad priorities: attracting investment into data centres and cloud infrastructure; positioning Nigeria as a regional digital services and hosting hub; transforming government through greater use of cloud services; and strengthening digital sovereignty and security.
According to the statement, the Federal Government’s initial ambition is to mobilise US$250 million in private investment within the first 12 months, rising to US$750 million within 24 months, alongside progressive increases in compliant hosting capacity and the development of Nigeria’s regional cloud export market.
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The Policy will also establish a National Digital Marketplace to support coordinated and transparent procurement of cloud and digital infrastructure services, alongside dedicated cloud budget arrangements and an anchor-capacity mechanism intended to improve predictability in government demand.
To stimulate investment, the Policy provides for a coordinated package of fiscal, regulatory, commercial and investment-facilitation measures for qualifying cloud and data infrastructure projects. These include appropriate fiscal treatment for qualifying infrastructure and supporting equipment, coordinated regulatory facilitation, measures addressing energy constraints, support for capital mobility and export earnings, and structured technology-transfer and capability-development obligations for investors benefiting from Government incentives.
The Government will also strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional digital services exporter by supporting cross-border data flows, regional interconnection, international standards alignment, export promotion and mutual recognition arrangements. The objective is to enable cloud and data services delivered from infrastructure located in Nigeria to increasingly serve customers across ECOWAS and the wider African market.
The Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation &Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, noted that cloud and data infrastructure have become foundational economic infrastructure for the digital age, underpinning artificial intelligence, financial services, digital government, healthcare, education, commerce and the next generation of technology-enabled services.
The Minister stated, “Nigeria must move from being primarily a consumer of global cloud infrastructure to becoming a competitive location for the infrastructure, investment, skills and digital services that will define the next phase of the global digital economy.
“Our approach is deliberately open and investment-oriented. We want Nigerian and international providers to invest, build capacity, develop talent and serve both the Nigerian market and the wider African continent from Nigeria. At the same time, Government has a responsibility to ensure that its most sensitive digital assets are governed and secured in a manner consistent with our national interests.
“The National Digital Cloud Policy therefore provides a balanced framework — one that promotes investment and competition, strengthens indigenous capability, modernises Government and applies sovereignty requirements only where they are genuinely necessary.”
The Policy establishes clearly delineated institutional responsibilities. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will provide regulatory oversight, standards and assurance; Galaxy Backbone (GBB) will lead operational delivery, shared infrastructure and aggregation; while the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) will ensure alignment with public procurement requirements.
This separation of responsibilities is intended to provide regulatory certainty and avoid conflicts between regulatory, operational and procurement functions.
A Sovereign Government Cloud Governance Committee, chaired by the Honourable Minister responsible for Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, will provide strategic oversight and whole-of-government coordination for implementation of the sovereignty framework.
