The Technical Working Group (TWG) on National Cloud Infrastructure was established by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in a major step to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.

The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, during the virtual inauguration of the Technical Working Group on National Cloud Infrastructure

The objectives of this initiative are to establish Nigeria as a major African technology hub, draw in hyper-scale investments, and improve local cloud capabilities.

  
“Without this foundation, we cannot achieve true digital sovereignty,” said Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, who spoke at the inauguration, highlighting the importance of accurate data and regulatory frameworks to support these initiatives and give Nigeria control over its digital infrastructure, data, and technological future. Our objective is to create an environment in which global hyper-scalers view Nigeria as a feasible place to invest and local data center providers can grow.

  
Inuwa pointed out that although Africa is home to almost 19% of the world’s population, less than 1% of data centers are located there, making the lack of reliable data on Nigeria’s IT infrastructure a major challenge. “This disparity, along with limited insights into Nigeria’s existing IT capacity, hinders investment efforts, and it becomes difficult to attract investment without clear data on our infrastructure,” he said.
 
  
According to the head of NITDA, in order to tackle this issue, NITDA commissioned extensive research to evaluate Nigeria’s digital landscape. The results of this study have indicated the necessity of better regulatory frameworks, more transparent investment incentives, and more robust public-private cooperation. He continued by saying that NITDA has since hired international consultants to rethink cloud development strategies.

 
NITDA encourages stakeholders, legislators, and industry professionals to provide their knowledge and resources as the TWG sets out on its mission. Inuwa came to the conclusion that Nigeria could become the leading digital hub in West and Central Africa if everyone worked together.

Barrister Emmanuel Edet, Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, echoed the Director General’s views while highlighting the significance of regulatory action in promoting a strong digital economy. Our goal is to create laws and regulations that facilitate cloud development so that we can safely store and handle our data. He stated that this is essential to the expansion of our digital economy.
 
  
“Equpping ourselves with top-tier training and expertise is essential to fully leverage digital technologies,” he adds, underscoring the need for capacity building. All parties involved were urged by Barrister Edet to take an active role in determining Nigeria’s digital future. “We need to work together to create a framework that

represents the interests of our country and ought to be widely embraced. He noted that this endeavor will establish Nigeria’s position in the global digital sphere.

  
By suggesting actions to promote the use of accurate data and advising the adoption and adherence to enabling policies, the TWG will support the effort to draw in hyperscale investments and improve local cloud capabilities.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Google, AWS, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, HUAWEI Cloud, Equinix, Kasi, Rack Center, Africa Data Centers, and a number of other data center operators are among the TWG members who have indicated their willingness to volunteer and provide resources.