NITDA: Policy Certainty Key to Unlocking Data Centre Investments

"The security architecture covers the entire digital ecosystem, from individual last-mile devices to critical national infrastructure." Inuwa

.... Diaclosed that "government information technology projects are now subjected to stringent cybersecurity-by-design clearances, ensuring that security considerations are incorporated into digital infrastructure and systems from the outset rather than being treated as an afterthought."

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said policy clarity, regulatory certainty and secure digital ecosystems are critical to converting Nigeria’s rapidly growing digital demand into sustainable data centre investments.

Inuwa stated this while speaking on the high-level industry panel, “Converting Digital Demand into Data Centre Investment,” at the recently concluded ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026.

The panel also featured Ike Nnamani of Digital Realty Nigeria, Wole Abu of Equinix, Temitope Osunrinde of Africa Hyperscalers and Cherotich Kiereini of Oracle.

The NITDA boss said Nigeria’s growing digital footprint presented significant opportunities for investment in data centres and other critical digital infrastructure, but stressed that translating such demand into bankable and sustainable investments required deliberate government direction, regulatory certainty and strong security frameworks.

According to him, the government’s primary responsibility is to clearly define its strategic intentions and provide a stable policy environment that guides investors on what needs to be built while catalysing growth across the technology ecosystem.

He said providing investors with regulatory certainty would enable operators to commit capital and develop infrastructure with confidence, knowing how digital infrastructure would be deployed, governed and consumed within the Nigerian market.

Inuwa also highlighted Nigeria’s strategic advantages in the regional digital economy, noting that the country’s value goes beyond its large population.

He said increasing demand for localised digital workloads was creating a growing market for digital infrastructure, while Nigeria’s geographical position could be leveraged to make the country a major transit and connectivity hub for West and Central Africa.

The NITDA director-general further pointed to Nigeria’s pool of technology talent as another major advantage, stressing that local innovators possess the capacity to develop solutions directly on top of modern digital networks.

With these advantages, he said, Nigeria was well positioned to host and drive the next phase of Africa’s digital development.

Inuwa, however, emphasised that sustained investment in digital infrastructure must be underpinned by trust and security.

He said NITDA was therefore embedding digital trust at the heart of national development through robust cybersecurity frameworks designed to protect the country’s expanding digital ecosystem.

He cited initiatives including the Digital Assurance Framework, the Cybercrime Act and the broader National Cybersecurity Architecture as key measures aimed at establishing end-to-end security across the digital chain.

According to him, the security architecture covers the entire digital ecosystem, from individual last-mile devices to critical national infrastructure.

He disclosed that government information technology projects are now subjected to stringent cybersecurity-by-design clearances, ensuring that security considerations are incorporated into digital infrastructure and systems from the outset rather than being treated as an afterthought.

Inuwa said the combination of targeted policy interventions, regulatory predictability and collaborative security standards would provide the foundation required to attract and sustain the next generation of investments in data centres, cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

He maintained that with clear government direction, investor confidence, secure digital systems and Nigeria’s strategic connectivity and talent advantages, the country could translate its rapidly expanding digital demand into long-term infrastructure investment and strengthen its position as a digital hub for the wider West and Central African region.