‘$1.9b investments in data protection’
The National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji has disclosed that investments in the Nigeria Data Protection ecosystem is expected to peak at 1.9 billon
The National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji has disclosed that investments in the Nigeria Data Protection ecosystem is expected to peak at 1.9 billon dollars by 2031.
Dr Olatunji said currently, 90 percent of Nigeria’s data is hosted abroad, a situation he described as precarious for the country’s data sovereignty.
The National Commissioner who delivered a keynote address at a Panel Session of the IoT West African Conference, emphasised the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s digital economy through strong data protection and privacy frameworks.
He highlighted data sovereignty, the growing role of data centres, and regulatory expectations under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, noting both the benefits of compliance and the risks of non-compliance.
Dr Olatunji stated that data centres are now critical infrastructure for Nigeria’s digital transformation, stating that the data protection ecosystem is one critical area that would generate employment opportunities and revenue for the country in the nearest future.
READ ALSO: UBA dismisses false publication on Elumelu’s marriage
Speaking also at the Conference, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Malam Kashifu Inuwa, underscored the central role of policy as an enabler of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Speaking on the theme “The Lagos/Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub”, the NITDA boss who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, Director, Stakeholders Management and Partnership emphasised that while infrastructure responds to demand, policy remains the critical driver that creates an enabling environment for sustainable digital growth.
According to the Director of Corporate Communications of NITDA, Hajiya Hadiza Umar, IoT West Africa is a premier platform that brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore advancements in Internet of Things, (IoT) smart cities, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and Digital Transformation.
Umar said in a statement issued in Abuja that the conference presented opportunities for stakeholders in the Nigeria digital economy ecosystems to share perspectives on the journey so far in Nigeria.
She qouted Malam Kashifu as saying that Nigeria’s broadband policy, which stipulates minimum speeds of 10 Mbps for rural areas and 25 Mbps for urban centres, provided a strategic framework for prioritising infrastructure deployment along the Lagos/Abuja digital corridor.
The NITDA boss cautioned, however, that without deliberate collaboration and partnership between government, the private sector, and civil society, widespread infrastructure rollout would remain challenging.
“Collaboration is the pathway that massifies impact, while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this in isolation,” he said.
He also spoke on the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project; a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening indigenous cloud service providers and preventing the dominance of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by foreign hyperscale operators.
By scaling local infrastructure to meet global standards, the project seeks to domesticate data hosting, reduce operational costs, and improve access to cloud services across the country.
He further stressed that policy must not only enable infrastructure development but also stimulate demand.
As an example, he cited the consolidation of servers by government agencies, which creates significant demand for cloud services and, in turn, drives investment in data centres. He emphasised the importance of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in co-creating, co-owning, and co-delivering data centres and digital services.
“We are no longer looking at IT from the perspective of infrastructure alone, but as an integrated system that creates value for the people,” he said.
He called on stakeholders across sectors to work with NITDA in building a digital Nigeria, stating, “If we must achieve our mission, we need you, and you need us. Together, we can make Nigeria a digitally enabled nation, fostering inclusive economic development through technological innovation.”
Highlighting NITDA’s strategic action plan, the NITDA boss referenced initiatives such as the Digital Literacy for All programme, which aims to ensure that 70 per cent of Nigerians acquire digital skills by 2027.
Through partnerships with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), he noted that NITDA is deploying digital literacy champions across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, with a target of training 30 million Nigerians within three years
