The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) have inaugurated the Joint Technical Committee of the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative (JTC-NSCI) to drive coordinated implementation of Nigeria’s sovereign cloud agenda.
The committee, chaired by the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, with the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, as co-chair, comprised representatives of government institutions responsible for public finance, procurement, investment, connectivity, power and energy, cybersecurity and data governance.
Declaring the committee inaugurated, Yakubu said the initiative addressed an increasingly important question of state capacity as government expenditure rises alongside growing dependence on digital infrastructure.
He said the committee would ensure that investments in digital infrastructure are properly planned, prioritised, fiscally sustainable and capable of delivering greater value from public resources.
Yakubu stressed that government does not need to finance or own every component of the digital infrastructure ecosystem, advocating greater mobilisation of private capital, competitive markets and credible long-term demand to complement public investment.
He noted that sovereign cloud implementation goes beyond technology, covering public finance, budgeting, procurement, investment, power, connectivity, cybersecurity, data governance and regulation.
According to him, the committee’s work would be practical, evidence-driven and result-oriented, with success measured through improved utilisation of existing assets, reduced duplication, stronger resilience, better value for public expenditure and increased private investment.
Speaking earlier, NITDA Director-General and co-chair of the committee, Kashifu Inuwa, described the inauguration as a defining step towards Nigeria’s digital future and greater control over the country’s data and digital infrastructure.
Inuwa warned that excessive dependence on foreign digital infrastructure could leave Nigeria’s digital future in the hands of foreign companies, stressing the need for digital self-determination.
He said NITDA was working towards certifying cloud service and infrastructure providers that meet Nigeria’s sovereign cloud standards, as well as system integrators to support banks and government institutions in migrating their workloads.
The NITDA boss added that the initiative introduces a cloud-first policy that could help government agencies reduce operational costs and the burden of maintaining individual data centres, while also harmonising regulatory requirements and attracting private investment.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, described the committee as a paradigm shift towards achieving value for money across the economy.
Adedokun said the initiative aligns with the Public Procurement Act and pledged the BPP’s support for stronger compliance and the development of an environment capable of attracting investment and accelerating growth in Nigeria’s cloud industry.
The inauguration of the JTC-NSCI underscores the Federal Government’s resolve to coordinate the fiscal, regulatory, infrastructure, investment and security components required for successful implementation of the sovereign cloud initiative.
The committee is expected to examine government ICT and cloud expenditure, total cost of ownership, utilisation of existing infrastructure, budget and procurement alignment, infrastructure financing, investment mobilisation and the fiscal implications of cloud adoption.
