News Highlights:
- ICT stakeholders argue that requiring 3MTT fellows to adopt the foreign .cv domain may conflict with the Nigeria-First Policy and weaken the promotion of Nigeria’s indigenous .ng digital identity.
- Experts have raised concerns about data sovereignty, privacy protection and cybersecurity implications, calling for greater transparency and possible adjustments to the partnership structure.
Concerns are mounting within Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry over the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s (FMCIDE) recently announced partnership with Hello.cv, with stakeholders arguing that the arrangement appears to conflict with the Federal Government’s Nigeria-First Policy by prioritising a foreign country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) over Nigeria’s indigenous digital identity, .ng.
Digital TimesNG learnt that the concerns follow the announcement by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, of a $10 million partnership agreement with Hello.cv.
Under the arrangement, 20,000 beneficiaries of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme will gain access to a package valued at $500 per fellow, including a personal .cv domain, an AI-powered job search agent, and professional CV writing services.
While industry experts have applauded the government’s efforts to expand opportunities for young technology professionals through international partnerships, many argue that requiring beneficiaries to adopt the .cv domain—associated with Cape Verde—runs counter to the objectives of the Nigeria-First Policy and diminishes the visibility and adoption of Nigeria’s country-code top-level domain, .ng.
Some stakeholders contend that the government could have retained the benefits of the Hello.cv partnership while ensuring that beneficiaries are hosted primarily on the .ng domain. Others suggest that Hello.cv could have been encouraged to operate on a localised structure such as hello.cv.ng, thereby aligning the initiative with the policy’s emphasis on local content and indigenous digital assets.
Speaking on the development, Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa Media and Communications, Dr Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, questioned the implications of onboarding thousands of Nigerians onto a foreign domain infrastructure.
“Okay, the first thing we want to understand is this: the number of people that will be onboarded to the .cv ccTLD is huge. Does .cv ccTLD have a policy to protect the privacy of Nigerian’s data? Even if they have, is it proper when we are talking about a government that says, ‘Nigeria First’ as its priority? It is very improper, very, very improper.”
Akinbo further argued that Nigeria’s .ng domain infrastructure is capable of accommodating the proposed number of beneficiaries.
“If they say their brand is a Hello.cv, no problem; they should come and buy a hello.cv.ng if the branding is a priority for them. If they decide that this becomes like a business opportunity, an entrepreneurial ground for them to grow upon, they can send a mail and propose that, and we can onboard three million Nigerians or five million Nigerians to the .ng domain name.”
The concerns come against the backdrop of the Nigeria-First Policy Agenda, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, 2025. The policy directs Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise locally produced goods and services in procurement processes, to reduce dependence on foreign alternatives, stimulating local industries and creating jobs.
Industry observers note that by incorporating a foreign domain into the benefits package for 20,000 3MTT fellows, the agreement could inadvertently promote another country’s digital identity instead of strengthening Nigeria’s presence in the global internet ecosystem.
They argue that while services such as AI-powered job search and CV writing support may be valuable additions, the domain component raises strategic questions about national digital identity and local ecosystem development.
Adding his voice, Chief Executive Officer of Programos and founder of Innovationbed-AI Academy, Emmanuel Amos, said the issue reflects a broader challenge of policy consistency within government institutions.
“Nigeria seems to have lost the collective will to allow any technology to deliver real value for the ecosystem. We plan elections, invest in technology, and yet we often lack the institutional resolve to let that technology work effectively for us. We do not have that system-will for us to envision solutions and implement something right for our system.”
Akinbo also linked the debate to national cybersecurity considerations, noting that data sovereignty and local digital infrastructure should remain priorities.
“Don’t forget that recently, the FMCIDE held a cybersecurity conference. Now, when we’re talking about cybersecurity, these are the things that we should always put on the front burner to ensure that the .ng is always at the forefront, and every other domain is at the back end to protect Nigeria’s data.”
He maintained that excluding the .ng domain from the initiative was a missed opportunity.
“Taking information or data outside the .ng domain name and outside the domain of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is also wrong, where Nigeria has neither control nor significant influence to control how and where the data is used. I hope that the people in charge will hear this and make amends. All these just started going out last month, so there’s room for amendments, there’s room to make the change, and ensure Nigeria retains its digital value.”
Data protection experts have also called for greater clarity regarding the handling of information generated through the programme.
According to Ugonma Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an ICT and data protection firm, the scale of the initiative should attract the attention of the relevant regulatory authorities.
“We are talking about 20,000 data sources here, so NDPC should be concerned.”
She stressed the need for transparency around data management practices and the rationale for using a foreign domain.
“There should be explanations regarding the backend: what are they doing with the data of the people who visit the sites? What is the reason behind the use of a foreign domain as against the .ng that we know about? Are they trying to phish data? Are they trying to sell data? These are questions that need to be asked to know the reason why the ministry insists on the trainees using a foreign domain.”
Egwuatu, however, expressed confidence that due diligence would have been conducted by the ministry and suggested that appropriate safeguards should be in place.
“I want to believe that as a ministry, they have done their due diligence, because the security of people’s data is involved.”
As discussions continue, industry stakeholders say the debate presents an opportunity for policymakers to review how international partnerships can be structured to support innovation while simultaneously advancing Nigeria’s digital sovereignty, local content objectives and national technology ecosystem.