The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed the critical role of policy in driving Nigeria’s digital transformation, stressing that a strong regulatory framework is essential for sustainable growth in the country’s technology ecosystem.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made this known during a panel session at the IoT West Africa Conference, where discussions centred on “The Lagos Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub.” He was represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnership.
Speaking at the event, Onumo noted that while infrastructure development responds to demand, policy remained the primary driver that creates an enabling environment for long-term digital growth. He highlighted Nigeria’s broadband policy, which prescribed minimum internet speeds of 10 Mbps in rural areas and 25 Mbps in urban centres, as a strategic guide for infrastructure deployment along key digital corridors.
He, however, cautioned that achieving widespread infrastructure rollout would require deliberate collaboration among government, private sector players, and civil society. According to him, “Collaboration is the pathway that massifies impact, while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this in isolation.”
Onumo also drew attention to the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening indigenous cloud service providers and reducing reliance on foreign hyperscale operators. The project, he said, seek to localise data hosting, cut operational costs, and expand access to cloud services nationwide.
He further explained that policy must not only enable infrastructure but also stimulate demand, citing the consolidation of servers across government agencies as a move capable of driving investments in data centres. He emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in co-creating and delivering digital services.
“We are no longer looking at IT from the perspective of infrastructure alone, but as an integrated system that creates value for the people,” he said, while calling for stronger stakeholder collaboration to build a digitally inclusive Nigeria.
As part of its strategic agenda, NITDA is advancing initiatives such as the Digital Literacy for All programme, which aims to equip 70 per cent of Nigerians with digital skills by 2027. Through collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the agency plans to deploy digital literacy champions across the country’s 774 local government areas, targeting the training of 30 million Nigerians within three years.
In a related development, the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Vincent Olatunji, stressed the importance of robust data protection and privacy frameworks in safeguarding Nigeria’s digital economy.
Delivering a keynote address, Olatunji highlighted the need for data sovereignty and increased investment in local data centres, noting that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s data is currently hosted abroad—an exposure he described as risky for national security and economic independence.
He added that the data centre market in Nigeria is projected to grow to $1.9 billion by 2031, urging stakeholders to comply with provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to harness the benefits of the digital economy while avoiding regulatory risks.
Both speakers agreed that with the right mix of policy direction, investment, and collaboration, Nigeria is well-positioned to become a leading digital hub in Africa.
