The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, at the virtual inauguration of the Technical Working Group on National Cloud Infrastructure
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the Technical Working Group (TWG) on National Cloud Infrastructure, to bolster Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The initiative aims to enhance local cloud capabilities, attract hyper-scale investments, and position Nigeria as a leading technology hub in Africa.
NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, at the inauguration, emphasized that Our goal is to build an ecosystem where both local data centre providers can scale, and global hyper-scalers see Nigeria as a viable investment destination.” The need for accurate data and regulatory frameworks to support these initiatives, necessary for Nigeria to control its digital infrastructure, data, and technological future noting that, “Without this foundation, we cannot achieve true digital sovereignty.
“This disparity, coupled with limited insights into Nigeria’s existing IT capacity, hampers investment efforts and without clear data on our infrastructure, attracting investment becomes challenging,” While identifying lack of accurate data on Nigeria’s IT infrastructure as significant challenge, that while Africa comprises nearly 19% of the world’s population, it hosts less than 1% of global data centres, Inuwa noted.
He maintained that, to address this, NITDA commissioned comprehensive research to assess Nigeria’s digital landscape which findings have highlighted the need for improved regulatory frameworks, clearer investment incentives, and stronger public-private collaboration. He added that subsequently upon this, NITDA has engaged global consultants to redefine strategies for cloud development.
NITDA DG, urges industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to contribute their expertise and resources, as the TWG embarks on its mission,. “With collective effort, Nigeria can emerge as the premier digital hub for West and Central Africa,”
Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Barrister Emmanuel Edet, underscored the importance of regulatory intervention in fostering a robust digital economy. “Our objective is to establish policies and legal frameworks that support cloud development, enabling us to securely host and manage our data. This is crucial for the growth of our digital economy, he said.”
He highlights the necessity of capacity building, “Equipping ourselves with top-tier training and expertise is essential to fully leverage digital technologies.” Barrister Edet called on all stakeholders to actively participate in shaping Nigeria’s digital future. “Collaboratively, we must develop a framework that reflects our national interests, and it should be widely accepted. This effort will define Nigeria’s role in the global digital arena, he observed.
Members of the TWG which includes Google, AWS, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HUAWEI Cloud, Equinix, Kasi, Rack Centre, Africa Data Centres, other data centre operators and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission expressed support and readiness to volunteer and contribute resources.
TWG will help attract hyperscale investments and enhance local cloud capabilities by proffering measures to encourage the use of accurate data, recommend the enactment and compliance to enabling policies.
