FG DRIVES NEW DIGITAL BILL TO FAST-TRACK AI, CLOUD, AND E-GOVERNANCE REVOLUTION

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE 
DG NITDA 

"Nigeria has moved from planning to executing its national Artificial Intelligence roadmap." Says Tijani Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Minister.

..... Explains that the country’s current focus is on putting in place clear guidelines and regulatory structures to ensure AI deployment aligns with ethical standards, accountability, and robust safeguards.

Nigeria’s push toward a fully digitised economy is gaining momentum as the Federal Government ramps up efforts to introduce an e-governance and digital economy bill aimed at strengthening regulation around emerging technologies and accelerating innovation across the public sector.

At the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardisation (GIST) Nigeria Introductory Stakeholder Workshop in Abuja, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa—representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani—said Nigeria has moved from planning to executing its national Artificial Intelligence roadmap.

He explained that the country’s current focus is on putting in place clear guidelines and regulatory structures to ensure AI deployment aligns with ethical standards, accountability, and robust safeguards.

As part of the broader digital transformation drive, the government is advancing efforts in data classification to guarantee access to clean and reliable datasets for AI training. At the same time, it is promoting cloud adoption across public institutions to improve efficiency, scalability, and service delivery.

Inuwa stressed the importance of a “cloud-first” policy, warning that continued reliance on on-premise systems could hinder large-scale digital transformation. However, he noted that cloud integration would be approached cautiously to protect Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and safeguard critical national data.

Progress is also being recorded in the e-governance space, with the development of an interoperability framework and the Nigerian Government Enterprise Architecture. Work is equally ongoing on a data exchange platform to support Government Statistics Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), designed to enhance data sharing and coordination among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The initiative is expected to harmonise public sector digital projects while opening up new opportunities for private sector participation.

Inuwa underscored the need for stronger collaboration among government, industry, and stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure, expressing confidence that the proposed legislation and related initiatives would boost Nigeria’s global standing in digital governance while driving innovation, transparency, and inclusive growth.

Earlier, the European Commission’s Team Leader for Digital Governance, Peter Marien, highlighted the importance of international cooperation in shaping global digital standards.

He said the European Union’s digital strategy prioritises partnerships and ecosystem alignment across regions, including Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Marien also referenced a recent engagement in Brussels on e-governance—organised with Smart Africa and attended by NITDA—describing Nigeria’s participation in the GIST initiative as a strong signal of its commitment to global digital governance.

He emphasised the EU’s focus on a human-centric digital ecosystem that prioritises inclusivity, privacy, and security, noting that its 27 member states have, over two decades, developed a cohesive digital framework centred on citizens.

Marien further identified Nigeria as a key player in Africa’s pursuit of a unified digital market, particularly in advancing cross-border digital integration. According to him, standards serve as the “invisible backbone” of modern societies, supporting critical systems across sectors, while the GIST platform enables alignment of technical standards and promotes knowledge exchange between regions.