The Federal Government will collaborate with Big Tech companies and hyperscalers to establish hyperscale data centers in Nigeria as part of efforts to secure the country’s data sovereignty, according to Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Delivering the keynote at the 3rd Biennial Corporate Governance and Enterprise Development Conference in Lagos on Tuesday, Abdullahi said the initiative will enable Nigeria to take ownership of data currently stored and controlled by foreign technology firms.
He noted that NITDA is implementing a “Cloud First” strategy to attract hyperscalers and strengthen local infrastructure and talent.
“Today we don’t have data sovereignty; our data is on social media, Google, Microsoft and others, and they decide what we see, what we believe, and what we buy,” Abdullahi said.
“We are working with Big Tech, the hyperscalers, and coming up with laws that will help us build hyperscale data center capability in Nigeria,” he added
He explained that the government’s strategy involves classifying data to determine what must remain within the country and what can be hosted on public cloud platforms.
Abdullahi added that Nigeria has developed the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the Standard for Artificial Intelligence Adoption, while testing the Ethical Standard for Deploying Artificial Intelligence. He further noted that the forthcoming Online Harm Protection Bill will harmonize online and offline regulations.
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Abdullahi emphasized that for Nigeria to fully benefit from artificial intelligence, AI systems must be retrained to reflect the country’s culture, values, and context. Without this, digital systems may make decisions that overlook local realities.
To address this, he disclosed that Nigeria is developing its own large language models and building systems that consider societal priorities, including data classification to determine what must remain in-country versus what can be hosted on public cloud platforms.
He added that the government’s Cloud First strategy encourages hyperscalers to establish data centres in Nigeria, which will also help grow local talent. Nigeria is being repositioned as a hub for data centre and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Africa, balancing the need for data sovereignty with regional collaboration.
On AI governance, Abdullahi explained that emerging technologies cannot rely solely on existing laws or historical frameworks. The government has developed a regulatory intelligence framework to guide AI adoption, emphasizing collaboration and the creation of practical use cases before formal regulation is applied.
What you should know
- In addition to the data governance efforts, NITDA is undertaking an ambitious project to establish at least 1,600 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres across Nigeria as part of the agency’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian is digitally included.
- They have has successfully established 222 ICT facilities, including community centres, school facilities equipped with ICT tools, and ICT hubs in the last two years.
- The agency’s target is to build more than 1,600 centres nationwide, focusing on providing digital infrastructure and skills to every citizen, regardless of societal or social status.
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