Nigeria, Team Europe Chart New Course For Data Exchange

Nigeria has taken a bold step to strengthen its national Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with the launch of a technical roundtable on the Nigeria Data Exchange Platform (NGDX).

Convened by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy with support from the European Union and Team Europe partners from Estonia, Finland, Germany, and France, the Nigeria Data Exchange Conference marks a major milestone in advancing secure, inclusive and trusted digital systems for the country’s citizens and businesses.

The conference, facilitated by the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, brought together senior government officials, legislators, regulators, industry leaders, and international partners to deliberate on the vision, governance, and technical architecture of the NGDX, envisaged as the third foundational rail of Nigeria’s DPI alongside the National Identity System and the National Payments Infrastructure.

In his address, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, described the initiative as central to Nigeria’s digital transformation journey. “Nigeria already has two of the three critical stacks required for a successful DPI, the National Identity rail and the Payments rail. The next frontier is a trusted Data Exchange that enables government and business to share and use data securely, while providing citizens with better services under a framework that guarantees privacy, security and accountability,” he said.

The minister noted that the NGDX will comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, which enshrines the right to privacy and established the National Data Protection Commission.

He affirmed that the ministry is committed to delivering a functional national data exchange by the end of 2025, aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

In his opening remarks, head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, announced that the European Union (EU) has committed €18 million to support Nigeria’s DPI, driving growth and creating secure, inclusive digital ecosystems.

He emphasised that Nigeria is a critical partner for digital cooperation under the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy and International Digital Strategy, which promote secure and trusted digital solutions and encourage business between Europe and Africa. “DPI is one priority area for cooperation of the EU Tech Business offer with a strong potential to drive growth and create secure, inclusive digital ecosystems,” he said.

He added that DPI goes beyond technology, empowering societies through secure digital identities, seamless payments, and trusted data governance frameworks. “However, such frameworks require legal safeguards on data and privacy. DPI must respect inclusivity, equity, human-centricity, security, trust, and sustainability,” he said.

Highlighting the EU’s commitment, De Luca noted critical projects supporting Nigeria’s digital transition, including BRIDGE (the rollout of 90,000 km of fibre-optic cable across the country), 3 MITT (launching Nigeria’s youth into the ICT labour market), and support for the digital economy ecosystem and businesses.

“This event is also a first step towards a fully-fledged EU support to the roll-out of DPI in Nigeria, an €18 million project that has just been approved for funding,” he said, praising the collaboration with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.