Key points
- IoT West Africa urges Nigeria to expand renewable energy mix beyond solar to support its growing digital economy.
- Nigeria must diversify beyond Solar to power digital economy
- Stakeholders push for stronger local data infrastructure to ensure data sovereignty and digital resilience.
Main story
Nigeria has been urged to broaden its renewable energy strategy beyond solar power in order to effectively support the rapid growth of its digital economy.
The call was made by Ms Darshana Deka, Conference Producer for IoT West Africa, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
Deka said while Nigeria’s power sector holds significant potential, it remains underutilised, particularly in its capacity to support digital infrastructure such as data centres, cloud systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
She noted that although solar energy adoption has grown, the country must begin exploring additional renewable and sustainable energy sources to meet rising energy demands driven by digital transformation.
According to her, the convergence of energy, data, and digital infrastructure is central to economic development and must be strategically harnessed.
The issues
Nigeria’s power sector continues to face structural limitations, including inadequate diversification of energy sources and insufficient capacity to support energy-intensive digital infrastructure.
Experts also highlight the growing pressure from data consumption, cloud services, and IoT expansion, which require stable and scalable energy supply systems.
Another key concern raised is data sovereignty, with stakeholders stressing the need for local data centres to retain national control over sensitive digital information.
What’s being said
Deka said the country’s energy transition must go beyond solar deployment to ensure long-term sustainability for the digital economy.
“As for the regulatory gaps, I see a few gaps, not in the IoT market, but rather in the power market,” she said.
“The power market in Nigeria is huge… there are many other renewable and sustainable energy sources that can be explored.”
She added: “Nigeria is still continuing with solar, so I think we need to move beyond solar and look at what are the other avenues.”
On infrastructure development, she explained that the platform was designed to bring together key sectors driving the digital economy.
“The main purpose is to practically show how the convergence of IoT, data centres, power and water are the main accelerators of Nigeria’s digital economy,” she said.
Deka also stressed the importance of expanding local data infrastructure.
“Nigeria will want to control its data. You don’t want to give out a country’s data to another country to keep it safe. That is why more local data centres are needed,” she said.
What’s next
Stakeholders at IoT West Africa and related digital infrastructure forums are expected to continue pushing for increased investment in energy diversification, expanded data centre capacity, and stronger policy frameworks supporting digital sovereignty.
The platform also aims to deepen collaboration among policymakers, investors, and industry players to accelerate Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions toward its 2030 development goals.
Bottom line
Experts are calling for a shift in Nigeria’s energy strategy beyond solar, arguing that a diversified renewable energy mix and stronger digital infrastructure are essential to sustaining the country’s growing digital economy.
