The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has highlighted Nigeria’s strategic efforts to build a resilient and globally competitive digital economy during the Datacloud Global Congress 2026 held in Cannes, France.
Inuwa participated in the Congress’ closing keynote panel session themed, “The Role of Digital Infrastructure in National Economies,” where he joined global policymakers, industry leaders, and digital infrastructure experts to examine how investments in digital infrastructure are shaping economic growth, innovation, national competitiveness, and digital sovereignty.
The high-level session was moderated by IDCA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mehdi Paryavi, and featured notable speakers including Ali Amur Al Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology at Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), Buddy Rizer, Chief Development Officer at IDCA, and the NITDA Director General.
Speaking during the panel discussion, Inuwa described digital infrastructure as a critical foundation for economic transformation, innovation, and sustainable development. He outlined Nigeria’s ongoing efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to diversify the economy through digitalisation, technology-driven growth, and strategic investments in digital infrastructure.
The NITDA boss highlighted the Federal Government’s National Cloud Policy as a key component of Nigeria’s digital transformation strategy. According to him, the policy encourages cloud adoption across government institutions while promoting the hosting of government data within Nigeria to strengthen digital sovereignty, enhance public service delivery, stimulate local cloud infrastructure development, and build trust in digital platforms.
He also disclosed that Nigeria has established a Technical Working Group comprising ecosystem players, industry stakeholders, and global hyperscalers to advance the country’s sovereign cloud agenda. The group is tasked with developing technical standards, strengthening governance frameworks, and mobilising investments necessary to accelerate the deployment of secure and trusted cloud infrastructure across the country.
Inuwa emphasised the importance of increased investments in data centres, cloud infrastructure, broadband connectivity, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy. He noted that expanding broadband penetration, advancing AI capabilities, and implementing forward-looking digital policies remain essential to driving innovation, scaling digital services, and accelerating economic growth.
The Director General further showcased Nigeria’s strengths as an attractive destination for digital infrastructure investment. He cited the country’s large and youthful population, thriving innovation ecosystem, expanding pool of digital talent, resilient entrepreneurial culture, and ongoing regulatory reforms aimed at creating a conducive environment for investors.
According to him, these advantages position Nigeria as a strategic gateway for digital infrastructure development in Africa and offer significant opportunities for global investors seeking to participate in the continent’s digital transformation journey.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to digital advancement, Inuwa stressed the importance of fostering international partnerships and mobilising investments that support the growth of cloud infrastructure, data centres, connectivity, artificial intelligence, and digital public infrastructure.
He noted that such collaborations are critical to strengthening Nigeria’s position as a leading digital economy and innovation hub on the African continent.
The Datacloud Global Congress is one of the world’s leading gatherings of policymakers, investors, hyperscalers, cloud service providers, data centre operators, and digital infrastructure stakeholders. The annual event serves as a platform for shaping the future of global digital infrastructure, technology investment, and digital transformation.