The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is finalizing a framework to classify data, ensuring certain categories remain within Nigeria. According to NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa, this initiative aims to drive cloud adoption, attract investments, and strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty.
Speaking at the Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025 event, Inuwa outlined NITDA’s strategy to leverage technology and regulations to support the Presidential 8-point agenda. The framework is expected to encourage more cloud service providers to invest in Nigeria while enhancing data security.
Inuwa emphasized that Africa should focus on applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in critical sectors rather than developing Large Language Models (LLMs). “The real power of AI lies in its application, not in building LLMs. We should focus on deploying AI in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and financial services, where it can make an immediate impact,” he stated.
NITDA has identified three key areas where AI can transform governance and business: automating processes, enhancing regulatory efficiency, and developing knowledge management systems. The agency remains committed to fostering an innovative ecosystem that balances regulation with industry growth by investing in cloud infrastructure, data classification, and AI applications.
NITDA follows a two-pronged regulatory approach: rule-based and non-rule-based regulations. Rule-based regulations set strict compliance guidelines, while non-rule-based regulations encourage industry-led innovation with established benchmarks.
“Before regulating, we need to understand the landscape, gather data, and remain dynamic. Technology evolves rapidly, and our regulatory framework must be agile enough to adapt,” Inuwa explained.
He also highlighted NITDA’s Cloud First Policy, introduced in 2019, which discourages excessive reliance on physical data centers and promotes cloud computing adoption. Initially, the policy allowed waivers for public cloud usage, but NITDA is now advocating for local data centers to scale up their capabilities.
NITDA has engaged with global hyperscaler providers, including Google Cloud, which has pledged to collaborate with local data centers to drive cloud adoption and establish a hyperscaler data center in Nigeria.
“Google CEO Sundar Pichai met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, where the president shared his vision for Nigeria. He believes technology can help achieve the 8-point agenda, including economic diversification, national security, food security, and infrastructure development, with a focus on education and healthcare,” Inuwa said.
