The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is stepping up efforts to strengthen control over data governance and expand its national software infrastructure as part of a broader digital sovereignty drive aimed at deepening local technological capacity and securing critical systems.
The initiative, which is anchored on developing high-standard regulatory frameworks and digital infrastructure, is intended to enhance integration across public and private systems while ensuring that data generated within the country remains under domestic oversight.
The Director-General of NITDA,Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi,made this known while speaking during an engagement with Ericsson management at GITEX Africa in Morocco, said Nigeria’s approach is focused on building long-term technological independence rather than aligning with geopolitical divisions in global technology.
“We are building our national software infrastructure. We are coming up with very high-standard regulatory policies that will help us build capacity for digital software integration,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“For me, it is not about politics. It is not about geo-tech politics. It is not about banning China. It is about how we, as a country, have control and are able to shape our digital future.”
The DG said Nigeria is not pursuing an exclusionary policy toward global technology companies but is instead seeking structured collaboration that ensures value creation within the country.
“We are not saying we are banning hyperscalers from coming. We want them to come, work with local partners, create value in Africa, and let us capture that value here,” he said.
The NITDA DG added that Nigeria’s strategy mirrors emerging global regulatory trends, citing frameworks such as the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and Data Governance Act as examples of structured approaches to digital sovereignty.
He pointed out that Nigeria already considers digital infrastructure as critical national infrastructure under existing executive orders, but cautioned that building full sovereignty in the digital space would take time.
“We already have an executive order that makes all digital infrastructure a national critical infrastructure,” he said. “But building a fully sovereign digital system takes time. Even the EU did not achieve it overnight.”
A key focus of the policy direction, he said, is ensuring that data generated locally is protected, while also developing domestic capacity in digital intelligence and innovation.
“We want to keep the intelligence in our country. We want to be part of creating value, not just receiving technology,” he said.
He also referenced broader concerns about historical imbalances in global industrial development, arguing that Africa must avoid repeating patterns where it contributes raw materials and data without benefiting from value-added systems.
“We don’t want a repeat of previous industrial revolutions where Africa was left behind. This time, it is about value creation and building our own digital offerings,” he said.
He disclosed that discussions are also ongoing around data ownership frameworks in emerging technologies, particularly in industrial systems where questions of control over machine-generated data remain unresolved.
On the industry side, Ericsson reaffirmed its long-standing presence in Nigeria’s telecoms sector. The company’s Director for Government and Policy Advocacy in Africa, Amos Haddebe, said Ericsson has operated in Nigeria for more than five decades, supporting the country’s telecommunications development from 2G through to 5G.
He said Ericsson continues to work with operators, including MTN Group, as part of efforts to advance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
Haddebe outlined four key pillars of a memorandum of understanding signed with the Nigerian government in October 2024, including the establishment of a joint innovation hub, a national hackathon, digital skills development programmes, and the exchange of best practices.
He added that a national hackathon currently underway under the supervision of the Vice President is expected to feed into wider innovation initiatives.
He also cautioned that rising competition in Africa’s telecoms sector underscores the need for governments to treat ICT infrastructure as a matter of national security and to maintain a diversified vendor ecosystem to ensure resilience.
