The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated a taskforce to drive the implementation of Nigeria’s Sovereign Cloud Initiative, with the Federal Government targeting stronger digital sovereignty, job creation, investment and the retention of technology talent in the country.
The initiative is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic cloud infrastructure, ensure that critical data remains securely hosted within the country and create an enabling environment for local and international investment in the digital economy.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, described the sovereign cloud initiative as a major ecosystem-wide reform capable of transforming critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Inuwa said the digital transformation agenda was broader than previous reforms in sectors such as telecommunications and banking because it cuts across virtually every aspect of the economy, including education, finance, healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing.
He said the taskforce would prioritise compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s January 1 deadline for financial institutions, adding that NITDA would organise workshops to showcase compliant cloud solutions and strengthen confidence among banks and other regulated institutions.
The NITDA DG said the agency would also collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop an end-to-end certification framework covering infrastructure providers, cloud service providers and system integrators involved in migrating financial institutions to compliant cloud environments.
“We want you to work with us to co-design how we can certify the infrastructure providers, the cloud service providers, and cloud educators. Because we need to certify end-to-end, from the infrastructure, the cloud services, and those who will go and help banks to migrate,” Inuwa said.
He disclosed that NITDA planned to launch a portal by October containing a directory of certified cloud service providers, infrastructure providers, system integrators and aggregators.
According to him, the portal would enable banks and other regulated institutions to easily identify accredited technology providers for their cloud migration requirements.
Inuwa further stressed the importance of monitoring and maintaining visibility over cloud infrastructure to ensure that sovereign data remains hosted within Nigeria and that regulated institutions comply with relevant requirements.
He said the initiative would also open up new opportunities for Nigerian technology professionals by creating jobs and enabling skilled workers to build careers and businesses locally.
“Digital sovereignty is not only about where our data resides; it is also about creating the capacity, infrastructure and talent to control and benefit from our digital economy,” the initiative underscores.
The NITDA DG said developing a stronger domestic cloud ecosystem could help reduce the migration of technology talent by providing Nigerian professionals with opportunities to work and innovate locally.
Also speaking, the Director of Payment System Policy at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Rakiya Yusuf, said digital stability was fundamental to the stability of the financial system.
Yusuf emphasised the importance of reliable and timely data for effective policy formulation and decision-making, noting that the CBN would continue to collaborate with NITDA and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the framework.
She described the sovereign cloud initiative as an important component of Nigeria’s broader economic transformation efforts.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Medallion Data Centres Limited, Ikechukwu Nnamani, said the sovereign cloud policy had the potential to attract significant foreign direct investment into Nigeria’s data centre, connectivity and cloud infrastructure sectors.
Nnamani said the localisation of cloud infrastructure could also reduce capital flight by keeping payments for cloud services within Nigeria while easing pressure on the naira.
“We are beginning to see a lot of companies come to Nigeria to physically deploy and implement their cloud infrastructure locally. So that is going to drive in foreign direct investment into the country,” he said.
He added that the initiative would create employment opportunities, strengthen national security and improve the quality of digital services through reduced latency.
Nnamani also said the development would create opportunities for Nigerians to acquire skills in emerging technologies and participate in the country’s growing digital economy.
Earlier, the Acting Director of NITDA’s Regulation and Compliance Department, Emmanuel Edet, said the inauguration marked a transition from the development of Nigeria’s cloud guidelines to their implementation.
Edet said the taskforce would provide a platform for regulators, government agencies and private-sector stakeholders to work together towards strengthening Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and creating an enabling environment for economic growth.
“We want to create a framework where regulators, stakeholders, private sector can actually work together to achieve a common goal which will eventually translate to other sectors of the economy,” he said.
He reaffirmed NITDA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria fully harnesses the opportunities presented by the digital economy.
“We hope to continue in that stead to ensure that we achieve all what the potentials of a country as large as Nigeria can attain in the digital environment,” Edet said.
The inauguration marks a significant step towards translating Nigeria’s sovereign cloud policy into practical implementation, with stakeholders expected to strengthen local infrastructure, protect critical data, attract investment and expand employment opportunities across the country’s digital ecosystem.
