NITDA restates policy is key enabler of Nigeria’s digital future

*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, at the 2026 IoT West Africa Exhibition and Conference, in Lagos, emphasises the central role of policy as an enabler of digital transformation in Nigeria

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

In evolving an environment for sustainable digital growth, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has underscored the central role of policy as an enabler of digital transformation in Nigeria.

ConsumerConnect reports Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, stated this while speaking during a panel session at the recent 2026 IoT West Africa Exhibition and Conference held at Landmark Centre, on Victoria Island, in Lagos.

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IoT West Africa is a premier platform that brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore advancements in Internet of Things, (IoT) smart cities, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and Digital Transformation.

The theme of this year’s event was: “The Lagos Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub”.

Inuwa, represented at the IoT West Africa Exhibition and Conference by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships at NITDA, emphasised that while infrastructure responds to demand, policy remains the critical driver that creates an enabling environment for sustainable digital growth.

Dr. Onumo, on the panel of discussants, explained that Nigeria’s Broadband policy, which stipulates minimum speeds of 10 Mbps for rural areas and 25 Mbps for urban centres, provides a strategic framework for prioritising infrastructure deployment along the Lagos Abuja digital corridor.

He, however, cautioned that without deliberate collaboration and partnership between government, the private sector, and civil society, widespread infrastructure rollout would remain challenging.

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The NITDA Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships stated: “Collaboration is the pathway that massifies impact, while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this in isolation,” he said.

He equally spoke on the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project; a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening indigenous cloud service providers and preventing the dominance of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by foreign hyperscale operators.

According to him, by scaling local infrastructure to meet global standards, the project seeks to domesticate data hosting, reduce operational costs, and improve access to cloud services across the country.

Onumo further stressed that policy must not only enable infrastructure development but also stimulate demand.

He equally cited the example of consolidation of servers by Nigerian Government agencies, which he noted has created significant demand for cloud services and, in turn, drives investment in data centres.

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The Director also stressed the importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in co-creating, co-owning, and co-delivering data centres and 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,” Onumo said.

He, therefore, urged stakeholders across sectors to work with NITDA in building a digital Nigeria.

He stated: “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.”

On NITDA’s strategic action plan for digital programmes, initiatives

Highlighting NITDA’s strategic action plan, Onumo referenced initiatives such as the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programme, which aims to ensure that 70 percent of Nigerians acquire digital skills by 2027.

Through partnerships with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), he noted that NITDA is deploying digital literacy champions across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), with a target of training 30 million Nigerians within three years.

Dr. Onumo averred: “That is the power of collaboration and partnership.”

NDPC’s Olatunji outlines measures to safeguard Nigeria Digital Economy

In his special presentation at the event also, Dr. Vincent Olatunji,

National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), while delivering the Day 2 keynote speech, stressed the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s Digital Economy through strong data protection and privacy frameworks.

He highlighted data sovereignty, the growing role of data centres, and regulatory expectations under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), 2023, noting both the benefits of compliance and the risks of non-compliance.

Dr. Olatunji underscored that data centres are now critical infrastructure for Nigeria’s digital transformation.

While decrying that over 90 percent of the Nigeria’s data is hosted abroad which is precarious for the nation’s sovereignty he encouraged for more investment in the sector as it is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2031.

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