Policy, Not Infrastructure, Key to Nigeria’s Digital Future – NITDA DG
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, has said that policy remains the most critical driver of Nigeria’s digital transformation, stressing that infrastructure alone cannot deliver sustainable growth without a strong regulatory framework.
Inuwa, who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, made this known during a panel session at the IoT West Africa Conference, held under the theme, “The Lagos-Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub.”
Speaking at the event, Onumo noted that while infrastructure typically responds to demand, policy creates the enabling environment necessary for long-term digital development.
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He explained that Nigeria’s broadband policy, which prescribes minimum internet speeds of 10 Mbps in rural areas and 25 Mbps in urban centres, provides a strategic foundation for prioritising infrastructure rollout along the Lagos-Abuja digital corridor.
The NITDA official, however, cautioned that achieving nationwide digital infrastructure would require strong collaboration among government, private sector players, and civil society.
“Collaboration is the pathway that massifies impact, while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this in isolation,” he said.
Onumo also highlighted the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project, describing it as a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening local cloud providers and reducing reliance on foreign hyperscale operators.
According to him, the project is designed to domesticate data hosting, lower operational costs, and expand access to cloud services across the country.
He added that beyond enabling infrastructure, policy must also stimulate demand, citing the consolidation of servers across government agencies as a strategy to drive investment in data centres.
“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.
The director further underscored the importance of public-private partnerships in co-creating and delivering digital infrastructure, urging stakeholders to work closely with NITDA in building a digitally inclusive economy.
“If we must achieve our mission, we need you, and you need us. Together, we can make Nigeria a digitally enabled nation, fostering inclusive economic development through technological innovation,” he added.
Onumo also referenced NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All initiative, which targets equipping 70 per cent of Nigerians with digital skills by 2027.
He disclosed that, in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, the agency is deploying digital literacy champions across the country’s 774 local government areas, with a goal of training 30 million Nigerians within three years.
In his keynote address, the National Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, emphasised the need for robust data protection frameworks to safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy.
Olatunji noted the importance of data sovereignty and regulatory compliance under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, warning of the risks associated with weak enforcement.
He described data centres as critical infrastructure for Nigeria’s digital future, expressing concern that over 90 per cent of the country’s data is currently hosted abroad.
The NDPC boss, however, projected growth in the sector, noting that Nigeria’s data centre market is expected to reach $1.9 billion by 2031, while calling for increased local investment to secure the nation’s digital sovereignty.
