The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has outlined a strategic approach to converting Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital demand into sustainable investment in data centres, cloud infrastructure and emerging technologies.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed this while speaking on the panel, “Converting Digital Demand into Data Centre Investment,” at the recently concluded ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026, where he joined industry leaders including Ike Nnamani of Digital Realty Nigeria, Wole Abu of Equinix, Temitope Osunrinde of Africa Hyperscalers and Cherotich Kiereini of Oracle.
Inuwa said unlocking the next wave of technology infrastructure capital would require a deliberate combination of clear government policies, regulatory certainty and secure digital ecosystems that give investors confidence to commit long-term capital.
According to him, government’s primary responsibility is to clearly define its strategic intentions and establish a stable policy environment that provides investors and operators with certainty over how digital infrastructure will be developed, governed and utilised.
He stressed that policy clarity would not only guide infrastructure development but also serve as a catalyst for broader growth across Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
Highlighting Nigeria’s investment potential, Inuwa said the country’s advantage extends beyond its large population, noting that growing demand for localised digital workloads is creating significant opportunities for data centre and cloud infrastructure providers.
He also identified Nigeria’s geographical position as a potential transit and connectivity hub for West and Central Africa, supported by a strong pool of local technology talent capable of developing innovative solutions on modern digital networks.
The NITDA Director-General further emphasised the importance of digital trust and cybersecurity in attracting and sustaining technology infrastructure investment.
He said NITDA was embedding cybersecurity into national digital development through initiatives including the Digital Assurance Framework, the Cybercrime Act and the broader National Cybersecurity Architecture.
Inuwa explained that government information technology projects were increasingly subjected to cybersecurity-by-design requirements, covering systems from last-mile devices to critical national infrastructure.
He said the combination of predictable policies, regulatory certainty, digital trust and collaborative security standards would provide the foundation for Nigeria to attract the next generation of data centre, cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The NITDA chief maintained that with the right policy environment and secure digital ecosystem, Nigeria was well positioned to translate its growing digital footprint into long-term infrastructure investment and strengthen its role in Africa’s emerging digital economy.
