*The National Information Technology Development Agency inaugurates the Technical Working Group on National Cloud Infrastructure as a significant move to improve Nigeria鈥檚 digital infrastructure, local cloud capabilities, and attract hyper-scale investments

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the Technical Working Group (TWG) on National Cloud Infrastructure as a critical move to boost Nigeria鈥檚 digital infrastructure.

绿帽献妻 reports NITDA disclosed the initiative “aims to enhance local cloud capabilities, attract hyper-scale investments, and position Nigeria as a leading technology hub in Africa.”

In his remarks at the inauguration, Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, emphasised the need for accurate data and regulatory frameworks to support these initiatives, necessary for Nigeria to control its digital infrastructure, data, and technological future.

Inuwa said: 鈥淲ithout this foundation, we cannot achieve true digital sovereignty.

“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.鈥�

The Director-General of NITDA also identified lack of accurate data on Nigeria鈥檚 Information Technology (IT) infrastructure as significant challenge.

He further noted that as Africa comprises nearly 19 percent of the world鈥檚 population, it hosts less than 1 percent of global data centres.

Inuwa stated: “This disparity, coupled with limited insights into Nigeria鈥檚 existing IT capacity, hampers investment efforts and without clear data on our infrastructure, attracting investment becomes challenging.”

To address this, however, NITDA commissioned comprehensive research to assess Nigeria鈥檚 digital landscape which findings have highlighted the need for improved regulatory frameworks, clearer investment incentives, and stronger public-private collaboration, noted Inuwa.

The NITDA Chief said subsequently upon this, the IT sector regulatory agency has engaged global consultants to redefine strategies for cloud development.

According to him, as the TWG embarks on its mission, NITDA urges industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to contribute their expertise and resources.

Inuwa said: 鈥淲ith collective effort, Nigeria can emerge as the premier digital hub for West and Central Africa.”

Corroborating the Director General鈥檚 submissions, Barrister Emmanuel Edet, Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance at NITDA, underscored the importance of regulatory intervention in fostering a robust digital economy.

Edet asserted: “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.”

The Acting Director highlighted the necessity of capacity building.

He stated: 鈥淓quipping ourselves with top-tier training and expertise is essential to fully leverage digital technologies.鈥�

Barrister Edet also urged all stakeholders to actively participate in shaping Nigeria鈥檚 digital future.

He further noted: 鈥淐ollaboratively, we must develop a framework that reflects our national interests, and it should be widely accepted.

“This effort will define Nigeria鈥檚 role in the global digital arena, he observed.

“The TWG will help in the drive to attract hyper-scale investments and enhance local cloud capabilities by proffering measures to encourage the use of accurate data, recommend the enactment and compliance to enabling policies.”

Members of the TWG which includes Google, AWS, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HUAWEI Cloud, Equinix, Kasi, Rack Centre, Africa Data Centres, several other data centre operators and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission expressed support and readiness to volunteer and contribute resources.

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