The Federal Government has unveiled Nigeria’s National Digital Cloud Policy, targeting $750 million in private investment within 24 months to expand the country’s cloud computing and data-centre infrastructure.
The policy is designed to position Nigeria as a regional hub for cloud computing, data hosting and digital services, while strengthening local digital infrastructure, creating jobs and supporting the growth of indigenous technology capabilities.
Under the policy, the government aims to attract $250 million in private investment within the first 12 months, rising to $750 million by the end of the 24-month implementation period. The investment is expected to support data centres, cloud infrastructure, connectivity and artificial-intelligence computing capacity.
A key component is the establishment of a National Digital Marketplace to facilitate coordinated and transparent government procurement of cloud and digital infrastructure services. The government also plans to aggregate cloud demand across Ministries, Departments and Agencies to create more predictable demand and encourage private-sector investment.
The policy has four major priorities: investment and market development, regional digital services exports, government cloud transformation, and digital sovereignty and security.
Nigeria also plans to strengthen its position as a digital-services exporter by supporting cross-border data flows, regional interconnection and international standards. This is intended to enable cloud services hosted in Nigeria to serve customers across ECOWAS and the wider African market.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will provide regulatory oversight, standards and assurance, while Galaxy Backbone will lead operational delivery and shared infrastructure. The Bureau of Public Procurement will oversee compliance with procurement requirements.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the policy would help Nigeria move from being primarily a consumer of global cloud infrastructure to becoming a competitive location for digital infrastructure, investment, skills and services.
The Federal Government expects the initiative to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy and provide critical infrastructure for sectors including artificial intelligence, financial services, healthcare, education, e-commerce and digital government.
