By Saminu Ibrahim
(SINL NIGERIA) The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reiterated the pivotal role of policy in driving Nigeria’s digital transformation, stressing that sustainable growth in the sector depends more on strategic frameworks than infrastructure alone.
Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made this known during a panel session at the IoT West Africa Conference themed “The Lagos-Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub.”
The NITDA Boss was represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnership.
Speaking at the event, Inuwa emphasised that while infrastructure development responds to demand, policy remains the primary enabler that creates an environment for long-term digital growth.
He noted that Nigeria’s broadband policy, which prescribes minimum internet speeds of 10 Mbps for rural areas and 25 Mbps for urban centres, provides a strategic foundation for expanding connectivity along the Lagos-Abuja digital corridor.
He, however, warned that without strong collaboration among government, private sector players, and civil society, achieving widespread infrastructure deployment would remain a challenge.
According to him, “Collaboration is the pathway that massifies impact, while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this in isolation.”
Inuwa also highlighted the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project, describing it as a flagship initiative designed to strengthen local cloud service providers and reduce reliance on foreign hyperscale operators.
He explained that the project aims to domesticate data hosting, lower operational costs, and expand access to cloud services nationwide.
Beyond infrastructure, NITDA stressed the need for policies that also stimulate demand. Onumo cited the consolidation of servers across government agencies as a key driver for increased cloud adoption, which in turn encourages investment in data centres.
He further underscored the importance of public-private partnerships in co-creating and delivering digital infrastructure and 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.
The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to digital inclusion through initiatives such as the Digital Literacy for All programme, which targets equipping 70 per cent of Nigerians with digital skills by 2027.
Through collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), NITDA plans to deploy digital literacy champions across all 774 local government areas, with a goal of training 30 million Nigerians within three years.
In a related development, the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, underscored the importance of data protection in safeguarding Nigeria’s digital economy during his Day 2 keynote address.
Olatunji stressed the need for strong data privacy frameworks under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, highlighting both the benefits of compliance and the risks of non-compliance.
He described data centres as critical infrastructure for national development, while expressing concern that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s data is currently hosted abroad.
Describing the situation as a threat to national sovereignty, he called for increased investment in local data infrastructure, noting that the sector is projected to grow to $1.9 billion by 2031.
Both speakers agreed that achieving Nigeria’s digital ambitions will require coordinated efforts, robust policies, and sustained investment to position the country as a leading digital hub in Africa.
