Key Points
- Federal Government targets $750 million in private investment in Nigeria’s cloud infrastructure within 24 months.
- Policy seeks to attract investment in cloud, data centres and AI computing while expanding Nigeria’s digital service exports.
- Government will use coordinated procurement and shared infrastructure to accelerate cloud adoption across public institutions.
Main Story
The Federal Government has introduced a National Digital Cloud Policy aimed at expanding Nigeria’s cloud and data infrastructure while positioning the country as a regional hub for digital services.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the policy on Tuesday, saying implementation would target $750 million in investment over the next two years.
The ministry said the government expects to attract $250 million in private investment during the first 12 months before increasing the target to $750 million within 24 months.
The plan also includes expanding compliant hosting capacity and developing Nigeria’s ability to provide cloud-based services to markets across Africa.
Tijani said cloud and data infrastructure had become critical to sectors including artificial intelligence, financial services, healthcare, education and digital government.
He said the policy was designed to move Nigeria beyond its role as mainly a user of foreign cloud infrastructure and make it a destination for investment in cloud services, data centres, computing capacity and digital skills.
The framework is expected to encourage both Nigerian and international companies to build infrastructure and provide services locally and across the African market.
The minister said the government would maintain an open market for cloud providers while applying stricter sovereignty measures to sensitive government and regulated data.
He said the policy would complement initiatives such as Project BRIDGE and the 3MTT programme by connecting digital connectivity, computing infrastructure and skilled manpower.
Institutional roles
Under the new framework, different government agencies will have separate responsibilities for regulation, infrastructure delivery and procurement.
The National Information Technology Development Agency will oversee regulation, standards and assurance, while Galaxy Backbone will handle operational delivery, shared infrastructure and aggregation.
The Bureau of Public Procurement will ensure that government procurement under the policy complies with existing requirements.
A Sovereign Government Cloud Governance Committee, chaired by Tijani, will provide strategic direction and coordinate implementation of the government’s cloud sovereignty framework.
The policy will be implemented through a 24-month programme.
During the first six months, government plans to activate the policy, conduct baseline assessments, establish implementation arrangements and facilitate investment.
The following six months will involve launching the National Digital Marketplace, beginning priority migrations by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, registering providers and developing regional market opportunities.
During the final 12 months, the government plans to expand migration across public institutions, bring participating states into the programme, increase regional interconnection and support the export of digital services.
The Issues
The policy is intended to address Nigeria’s need for greater domestic digital infrastructure while creating conditions for private investment in cloud computing, data centres and AI infrastructure.
It also seeks to balance investment and competition with government control over sensitive digital assets.
The ministry said the framework would not introduce blanket data localisation requirements for commercial information. Instead, sovereignty rules would apply specifically to identified categories of government and regulated data where national control is considered necessary.
What’s Being Said
Tijani said the government wanted Nigerian and international technology providers to invest in infrastructure, build local capacity and serve customers in Nigeria and other African markets.
He said government would also ensure that sensitive digital assets were protected in line with national interests.
The ministry said government’s collective purchasing power would be used to stimulate investment in domestic digital infrastructure.
What’s Next
Implementation will begin with a six-month activation phase covering assessments, institutional arrangements and investment facilitation.
Government agencies will then begin priority cloud migrations and operationalise the National Digital Marketplace before the programme moves into its expansion phase.
Progress will be measured through indicators including private investment, hosting capacity, government migration, cost savings, digital service export earnings and skills development.
Bottom Line
The Federal Government’s National Digital Cloud Policy targets $750 million in investment over 24 months as Nigeria seeks to expand domestic cloud infrastructure, attract technology investment and develop its position as a regional provider of digital services.
