Nigeria: Digital Economy Bill to Drive AI, Cloud Adoption – FG

Nigeria is accelerating its shift towards a fully digital economy as the Federal Government advances plans for an e-governance and digital economy bill designed to strengthen regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies and stimulate innovation across the public sector.

Speaking at the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardisation (GIST) Nigeria Introductory Stakeholder Workshop in Abuja, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, said the country has moved beyond policy formulation and is now executing its national Artificial Intelligence roadmap.

Representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, Inuwa explained that the current phase centres on building clear guidelines and regulatory structures to ensure AI deployment aligns with ethical standards, accountability, and robust safeguards.

As part of the broader digital transformation agenda, the government is also advancing data classification initiatives to ensure the availability of clean, reliable datasets required for effective AI training and deployment.

In parallel, efforts are underway to scale cloud adoption across public institutions to improve efficiency, scalability, and service delivery. Inuwa emphasised the importance of a “cloud-first” approach, warning that continued reliance on on-premise systems could hinder large-scale digital transformation.

He, however, noted that cloud integration would be carefully managed to safeguard Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and protect critical national data.

Progress is also being recorded in the e-governance space, including the development of an interoperability framework and the Nigerian Government Enterprise Architecture. Work is also ongoing on a data exchange platform to support Government Statistics Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), aimed at improving data sharing and coordination across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

The initiative is expected to streamline public sector digital projects while opening up opportunities for private sector participation.

Inuwa stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government, industry, and other stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure, expressing confidence that the proposed legislation would enhance Nigeria’s position in digital governance while promoting innovation, transparency, and inclusive growth.

Also speaking, Peter Marien, Team Leader for Digital Governance at the European Commission, highlighted the importance of international cooperation in shaping global digital standards.

He noted that the European Union’s digital strategy prioritises partnerships and ecosystem alignment across regions, including Nigeria and the United Kingdom, while emphasising a human-centric approach that promotes inclusivity, privacy, and security.

Marien described standards as the “invisible backbone” of modern digital systems, adding that platforms such as GIST play a critical role in aligning technical frameworks and fostering cross-border knowledge exchange.