Nigeria’s Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering an innovative digital ecosystem by investing in cloud infrastructure, data classification, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The agency’s goal is to balance regulation with industry growth and position Nigeria as a leading digital hub in Africa. NITDA’s director general, Kashifu Inuwa, made this known while speaking as a panellist at the Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025.
Inuwa outlined the agency’s regulatory framework, which includes rule-based and non-rule-based approaches to ensure adaptability in the evolving technological landscape. He explained that while rule-based regulation provides strict guidelines for industry compliance, non-rule-based regulation allows for industry-led innovation with established benchmarks. He also emphasized the importance of a dynamic regulatory approach to keep pace with the fast-changing technology landscape.
Highlighting the agency’s initiatives, Inuwa spoke on the Cloud First Policy introduced in 2019 to reduce reliance on physical data centres. He stated that the policy encourages government agencies and private businesses to leverage cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS).
He noted that while the strategy initially allowed waivers for businesses to use public cloud services, NITDA is now advocating for the expansion of local data centres to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
On achievements, Inuwa revealed that NITDA has successfully engaged with global hyperscalers, including Google Cloud, to enhance cloud adoption. He disclosed that Google CEO Sundar Pichai met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, where the president emphasized the role of technology in achieving his administration’s 8-point agenda, covering economic diversification, security, food security, and digital infrastructure.
NITDA is finalizing a framework for mandatory data classification to retain certain data categories within Nigeria.
Inuwa further stressed that Africa should focus on AI applications rather than developing Large Language Models (LLMs). He said NITDA is prioritizing AI to improve governance, regulation, and service delivery, with a focus on automating processes, enhancing regulatory efficiency, and developing knowledge management systems.
Other industry experts at the event, including Dr. Nadu Denloye of Telnet Nigeria Limited, called for collaboration to drive Africa’s digital transformation through cloud adoption and AI-driven solutions.