News Highlights:
- NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa highlighted digital infrastructure as a key driver of economic growth and national competitiveness.
- Inuwa called for increased investments in data centres, cloud infrastructure, broadband connectivity, and artificial intelligence.
Digital infrastructure is a critical enabler of economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and national development, according to the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to accelerate digital transformation through strategic investments in technology and connectivity.
During the closing keynote panel session at the Datacloud Global Congress 2026 in Cannes, France, Inuwa joined global industry leaders to discuss “The Role of Digital Infrastructure in National Economies,” with a focus on how nations can leverage digital assets to drive economic resilience and long-term prosperity.
The high-level session, moderated by IDCA Chairman and CEO Mehdi Paryavi, examined the impact of digital infrastructure on economic growth, artificial intelligence strategy, digital sovereignty, workforce development, and national competitiveness.
Other panellists included Ali Amur Al Shidhani, Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology at Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), and Buddy Rizer, Chief Development Officer at IDCA.
During the discussion, Inuwa spotlighted Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope programme, noting that the country is leveraging digitalisation, technology-driven innovation, and expanded digital infrastructure to diversify the economy, create opportunities, and strengthen its position in the global digital ecosystem.
The DG emphasised that the National Cloud Policy, which promotes cloud adoption across government institutions and prioritises the hosting of government data within Nigeria to strengthen digital sovereignty, improve public service delivery, stimulate the domestic cloud ecosystem, and deepen trust in digital systems.
He further highlighted the establishment of a Technical Working Group comprising ecosystem players, industry stakeholders, and hyperscalers to guide Nigeria’s sovereign cloud adoption agenda, develop technical standards, strengthen governance frameworks, and mobilise investments required to accelerate trusted cloud infrastructure development.
The NITDA boss stressed the need for increased investments in data centres, cloud infrastructure, broadband connectivity, and emerging technologies to unlock Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions and position the country as a leading digital hub in Africa.
He noted that expanding broadband penetration, advancing artificial intelligence development, and deliberate policy implementation remain critical to accelerating innovation, enabling scalable digital services, and driving economic transformation.
Inuwa also showcased Nigeria’s comparative advantages as an emerging digital investment destination, citing the country’s large and youthful population, vibrant innovation ecosystem, resilient entrepreneurial culture, growing digital talent base, and ongoing reforms aimed at creating an enabling environment for digital infrastructure investments.
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to fostering strategic partnerships and mobilising investments that accelerate the development of cloud infrastructure, data centres, connectivity, artificial intelligence, and digital public infrastructure to strengthen the country’s position as a globally competitive digital economy.
The Datacloud Global Congress convenes policymakers, investors, hyperscalers, cloud providers, data centre operators, and digital infrastructure stakeholders from around the world to shape the future of global digital infrastructure and investment.