Nigeria: NITDA DG outlines strategy to attract data centre investment in Nigeria

Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has outlined Nigeria’s strategy for attracting the next wave of investment into data centre infrastructure.

Speaking during a high-level panel titled “Converting Digital Demand into Data Centre Investment” at the recently concluded ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026, Inuwa said converting Nigeria’s expanding digital footprint into sustainable and commercially viable investment would require a coordinated combination of government direction, regulatory certainty, and secure digital ecosystems.

The panel also featured Ike Nnamani of Digital Realty Nigeria, Wole Abu of Equinix, Temitope Osunrinde of Africa Hyperscalers, and Cherotich Kiereini of Oracle.

Policy clarity as foundation for investment

Inuwa identified policy certainty as a central pillar of the government’s approach to stimulating data centre investment.

According to him, government’s primary responsibility is to define its strategic objectives clearly and establish a stable framework that guides infrastructure development while supporting wider growth across the technology sector.

He said regulatory clarity would give investors and operators the confidence to commit capital, with a clear understanding of how digital infrastructure would be deployed, regulated, managed, and consumed within the Nigerian market.

Nigeria’s position as a regional digital hub

Inuwa noted that Nigeria’s investment appeal extends beyond its large population, pointing to the rising demand generated by localised digital workloads and the country’s geographic position as a potential connectivity and transit hub for West and Central Africa.

He also highlighted the depth of Nigeria’s technology talent pool, which can develop innovative products and services on top of modern digital networks.

These factors, he said, position the country to play a central role in supporting the region’s growing demand for cloud services, data centres, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Cybersecurity and digital trust

To sustain the growth of the digital economy, NITDA is placing digital trust and cybersecurity at the centre of national infrastructure development.

Inuwa referenced initiatives including the Digital Assurance Framework, the Cybercrime Act, and the wider National Cybersecurity Architecture as mechanisms for strengthening security across the digital ecosystem.

He explained that cybersecurity requirements are increasingly being applied across the entire technology chain, from last-mile devices to critical national infrastructure. Government information technology projects are also subject to cybersecurity-by-design assessments and clearances.

Through these policy initiatives and coordinated security standards, Inuwa said Nigeria is working to establish the predictable, secure foundation required to attract investment and support the next generation of data centres, cloud platforms, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.