Information Technology Agency Advocates Digital Sovereignty, Regional Collaboration For Africa’s Future

The director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi reaffirmed Nigeria’s leadership in shaping Africa’s digital future.

This, he said, during a series of high-level engagements held on the sidelines of the 18th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025) in Abuja recently.
Over three landmark events – ICEGOV 2025, the West African Digital Governance Forum (WADGov), and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) E-Governance Expert Meeting – Inuwa emphasised that, Africa’s digital transformation must be driven by trust, collaboration, and a strong commitment to data sovereignty.

Hosted for the first time in West Africa, ICEGOV 2025 brought together ministers, regulators, development partners, and digital innovators from over 50 countries under the theme ‘Shaping the Future of Digital Governance through Cooperation, Innovation, and Inclusion.’
Speaking at the opening ceremony, he described digital governance as a social contract built on accountability and shared progress.

“Digital is not an accessory to development – it is its backbone. Africa’s digital sovereignty must be built on systems that protect our data, empower our people, and strengthen our capacity to innovate locally and compete globally,” he stated.

Despite accounting for nearly 18 per cent of the world’s population, Africa contributes less than one per cent to global data center capacity and cloud infrastructure – a gap that poses significant risks to the continent’s digital independence.

Inuwa emphasised that data sovereignty cannot exist without local infrastructure capable of hosting, processing, and securing Africa’s data.

He noted that strengthening domestic cloud capacity, encouraging local data hosting, and promoting regional interconnection are essential for achieving true sovereignty in the digital era.

He emphasised that Africa must develop its own systems to govern and protect its data, rather than outsourcing its digital destiny to external actors.

At the West African Digital Governance Forum (WADGov), he called on member states to adopt shared frameworks that align with the African Union Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030).

He underscored the need for interoperable systems, cross-border collaboration, and open digital ecosystems that reflect Africa’s unique realities.

At the APRM E-Governance Expert Meeting, Inuwa urged African leaders to co-create a uniquely African, people-centred, and transparent framework for measuring digital governance maturity, grounded in inclusion and accountability.

“E-Governance is not about automating bureaucracy; it is about humanising public service,” he said.

Throughout the week, Inuwa also showcased Nigeria’s achievements in building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) – spanning identity, payments, and data exchange – and highlighted the Data Protection Act 2023, which institutionalises digital trust.

He cited over 126 million Nigerians now enrolled in the National Identification Number (NIN) system and referenced the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) and Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programmes as examples of Nigeria’s commitment to inclusive digital capacity building.

In reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to digital sovereignty, Inuwa noted that the agency continues to work closely with regulators, operators, and development partners to localise data sustainably in Nigeria and across Africa.