The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has taken another major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy with the inauguration of a Technical Working Group (TWG) aimed at enhancing regulatory collaboration and advancing a coordinated national sandbox framework for digital innovation.
The initiative is part of the Agency’s broader commitment to creating an enabling environment where innovation can thrive while ensuring effective regulatory oversight across Nigeria’s rapidly evolving technology ecosystem.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented by the Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Barrister Emmanuel Edet, stressed the importance of stronger inter-agency collaboration in addressing structural regulatory challenges that often slow down innovation.
According to him, members of the Technical Working Group were carefully selected based on their institutional relevance and ability to provide practical solutions that align with the realities of Nigeria’s growing digital landscape.
He explained that while regulatory agencies have clearly defined responsibilities, the complexity and fast-paced nature of emerging technologies now require greater cooperation among institutions to ensure regulations support innovation instead of limiting it.
“As government institutions, our responsibility is to provide solutions to challenges faced by Nigerians. The issue is not a lack of commitment, but the structure within which regulators operate. Most agencies work independently in carrying out their mandates, and that approach has limitations in today’s interconnected digital environment,” he said.
Inuwa noted that the rapid growth of the digital economy continues to outpace traditional regulatory systems, creating gaps that can unintentionally delay the deployment of innovative solutions capable of improving lives and driving national development.
To bridge these gaps, NITDA is championing a multi-agency regulatory framework that will bring regulators together to better understand overlapping mandates and jointly develop adaptive systems that encourage innovation while maintaining accountability and consumer protection.
A key component of this framework is the adoption of regulatory sandboxes controlled environments that allow startups and innovators to test emerging technologies and solutions under the guidance and supervision of relevant regulatory authorities.
“Our guiding principle is that we learn by doing. Through these sandboxes, regulators can work together to create safe spaces where innovation can be tested, refined, and scaled for national impact,” he added.
The NITDA boss also reassured stakeholders that the initiative is not designed to weaken the statutory responsibilities of any agency, but rather to improve coordination and create a more responsive regulatory ecosystem capable of keeping pace with technological advancement.
He emphasised that stronger collaboration among regulators is critical for positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global digital economy and for harnessing innovation as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth and sustainable national prosperity.
Inuwa expressed confidence that the Technical Working Group would serve as a strategic platform for developing forward-looking regulatory solutions and advancing NITDA’s vision of becoming an ecosystem orchestrator driving digital transformation in Nigeria.
Providing further insight into the National Regulatory Sandbox initiative, the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Victoria Fabunmi, explained that the framework is designed to offer innovators a structured legal and regulatory environment where emerging technologies can be tested under supervision before receiving full market approval.
She observed that despite rapid advancements in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, fintech, health technology, and blockchain, many innovators still face major obstacles caused by fragmented regulations, siloed approval systems, and the absence of coordinated testing mechanisms.
Fabunmi stated that while Nigeria’s digital economy continues to record significant growth, poor regulatory harmonisation has often delayed innovation and increased uncertainty for startups and technology-driven businesses.
Describing the National Regulatory Sandbox as more than just a digital platform, she explained that it is essentially a governance and legal framework created to support responsible innovation.
Unlike traditional sandbox systems commonly associated with financial services regulation, she noted that Nigeria’s model is intentionally sector-agnostic, enabling regulators across sectors such as agriculture, digital health, mobility, clean energy, and digital public infrastructure to collaborate in supporting innovative solutions.
Under the framework, startups and innovators will have the opportunity to engage multiple regulators simultaneously within a controlled environment, helping to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and significantly shorten time-to-market for emerging technologies.
Fabunmi added that the sandbox would also generate shared regulatory insights that participating agencies can use collectively to develop informed, adaptive, and innovation-friendly policies.
The inauguration of the Technical Working Group represents another strategic milestone in NITDA’s drive to build a more agile, collaborative, and innovation-driven regulatory ecosystem that aligns with Nigeria’s ambition of becoming one of Africa’s leading digital economies.
