Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital economy with a new partnership aimed at developing sovereign cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence-powered data systems across the country.
The initiative follows a strategic agreement between the National Information Technology Development Agency and the International Data Center Authority to drive large-scale digital infrastructure deployment and position Nigeria as a leading technology hub in Africa.
Signed in Abuja, the agreement is expected to support the rollout of Nigeria’s Sovereign Cloud initiative, a project designed to strengthen data sovereignty, digital service delivery and long-term technology-led economic growth.
At the centre of the plan is the proposed “Nigeria Digital Triangle,” a network of strategically located hyperscale, AI-enabled data centres that will serve as the backbone of the country’s emerging digital infrastructure ecosystem. The facilities are expected to host global cloud services, enterprise workloads and digital platforms while enhancing local data storage capacity.
The programme will focus on four major pillars: the development of a national digital economy masterplan, the deployment of interconnected hyperscale infrastructure hubs, the establishment of national digital standards aligned with global benchmarks, and a workforce development framework to improve local digital skills.
Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, described the partnership as a major milestone in Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda, saying it reinforces the government’s commitment to expanding the digital economy and strengthening national data sovereignty.
According to him, the project is expected to accelerate job creation, innovation, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness by unlocking new investments in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
Chairman of IDCA, Mehdi Paryavi, said Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest economy gives it strong potential to become a continental digital powerhouse.
Other officials involved in the project said the initiative would be implemented over three years through coordinated engagement with government institutions, private sector players and international partners, with the aim of translating Nigeria’s digital ambitions into measurable economic outcomes.
