NITDA Boss Woos Global Investors, Pushes Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Drive at Datacloud Congress

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE 
DG, NITDA 

 

.... "Describes digital infrastructure as a critical driver of innovation, economic diversification and national development."

.... Says "the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is leveraging technology and digitalisation to transform Nigeria’s economy."

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to becoming Africa’s leading digital economy, calling for increased investments in cloud infrastructure, data centres, broadband connectivity and artificial intelligence.

Giving this reaffirmation on behalf of the Federal Government is the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, while speaking at the Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes, France.

Inuwa joined global industry leaders during a high-level keynote panel on “The Role of Digital Infrastructure in National Economies,” where discussions centred on economic growth, digital sovereignty, AI strategy, workforce development and national competitiveness.

The NITDA chief described digital infrastructure as a critical driver of innovation, economic diversification and national development, noting that the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is leveraging technology and digitalisation to transform Nigeria’s economy.

Highlighting key policy initiatives, Inuwa said Nigeria’s National Cloud Policy is promoting cloud adoption across government institutions while encouraging the hosting of government data within the country to strengthen digital sovereignty, enhance public service delivery and boost confidence in digital systems.

He disclosed that a Technical Working Group comprising industry stakeholders, ecosystem players and hyperscale technology providers has been established to guide Nigeria’s sovereign cloud agenda, develop technical standards, strengthen governance frameworks and attract investments into the country’s digital infrastructure ecosystem.

According to him, expanding broadband access, advancing artificial intelligence capabilities and implementing forward-looking digital policies are essential to unlocking Nigeria’s digital economy potential and positioning the country as a major technology hub on the African continent.

Inuwa also showcased Nigeria’s attractiveness as a digital investment destination, citing its large youthful population, expanding pool of digital talent, vibrant innovation ecosystem and ongoing reforms designed to create an enabling environment for investors.

He reiterated Nigeria’s resolve to build strategic partnerships and mobilise investments that will accelerate the development of cloud infrastructure, data centres, connectivity and digital public infrastructure, ultimately strengthening the nation’s competitiveness in the global digital economy.

The Datacloud Global Congress brings together policymakers, investors, cloud providers, hyperscalers and digital infrastructure experts from across the world to shape the future of digital infrastructure and technology investments.