Govt plans strategy to oversee AI, cloud growth

The National Information Technology Development Agency has outlined a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence and cloud computing as part of efforts to balance innovation with industry compliance and strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.

Its Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, said the agency is committed to fostering a dynamic regulatory environment that supports technological advancements while ensuring adherence to standards.

He spoke as a panellist at the Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025—an online webinar hosted last week.

Inuwa said NITDA’s regulatory approach consists of two components—rule-based and non-rule-based regulations.

Rule-based regulation, he explained, involves strict compliance guidelines, while non-rule-based regulation allows for industry-led innovation within established benchmarks.

“Before we regulate anything, we need to be aware of the landscape, we need to be intelligent, we need to have data and make sense out of that data, and we need to be dynamic because technology is fast-changing, and we need to develop that agility within the regulatory framework,” he noted.

The Africa Hyperscalers Digital Infrastructure Outlook 2025 brought together industry experts to discuss Africa’s role in the expanding global AI-driven infrastructure sector.

NITDA chief highlighted the agency’s Cloud First Policy, introduced in 2019 to reduce dependence on physical data centres and promote cloud adoption.

He said the policy encourages government agencies and private businesses to embrace cloud computing, software-as-a-service, and other digital solutions.

While the initiative initially allowed waivers for businesses to use public cloud infrastructure, NITDA has since advocated local data centres to expand their capacity to meet growing demand.

Inuwa noted that one of NITDA’s key achievements has been its successful engagement with global hyperscale providers.

He said Google Cloud has committed to partnering with local data centres to drive cloud adoption and establish a hyperscale facility in Nigeria.

“The Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, met our president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Paris, and the president shared his transformative ambition for Nigeria.

“The president said that he believes technology can help him to achieve all the eight-point agenda items from economic diversification, national security, food security, and infrastructure, which include digital infrastructures with a focus on education and healthcare because technology can enable all of them,” he said.

Inuwa added that to further accelerate cloud adoption and investment, NITDA is finalising a framework that will require data classification, ensuring that certain categories of data remain within Nigeria.

He said this initiative is expected to attract more cloud service providers and strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty.

While stressing that Africa should prioritise AI applications over building large language models, Inuwa said NITDA is focusing on leveraging AI to enhance governance, regulation, and service delivery.

He outlined three key areas where AI can transform governance and business operations: automating processes, improving regulatory efficiency, and developing knowledge management systems.

“The real power of AI is in application, not in building large language models. We should focus on deploying AI to sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and financial services, where it can make an immediate impact,” Inuwa averred.