National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) have partnered to inaugurate a three-year national digital infrastructure programme.
A joint statement last week by the director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, NITDA, Mrs Hadiza Umar, and the global head, Strategic Services of Europe and Africa, IDCA, Mr Solomon Edun, said the partnership was designed to position Nigeria as a leading digital economy.
The statement added that the partnership was meant to work with local and international ecosystem players to build an integrated digital economy ecosystem anchored on infrastructure deployment, regulatory standards and workforce development.
According to the partners, the initiative aligns with the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud initiative and seeks to establish an execution-led and investment-driven framework capable of mobilising public and private sector capital for long-term economic growth.
At the centre of the programme is the Nigeria Digital Triangle (NDT), a network of strategically located hyperscale and Artificial Intelligence-enabled data centre clusters expected to serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s emerging digital economy.
According to the statement, the programme will be structured around four key pillars. “It includes a national digital economy masterplan with clear milestones, hyperscale infrastructure development through interconnected digital hubs, national digital standards aligned with global best practices.
“It also involves workforce development initiatives to support long-term capacity building,” it said. Speaking on the initiative, director-general of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa described the partnership as a defining moment in Nigeria’s economic transformation.
Inuwa said the initiative reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to advancing the Digital Economy and Data Sovereignty Agenda through investments in digital infrastructure, talent development, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
He added that collaboration with IDCA and members of the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative Technical Working Group would help lay a strong foundation for sustainable infrastructure growth, job creation, global competitiveness and innovation-driven development.
