NITDA, Data Centre, Inaugurate Digital Infrastructure Initiative

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the International Data Centre Authority (IDCA) have partnered to inaugurate a three-year national digital infrastructure programme.

This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by  Hadiza Umar, Director, Corporate Communications and Media Relations, NITDA and Solomon Edun, Global Head, Strategic Services of Europe and Africa, IDCA.

The partnership was designed to position Nigeria as a leading digital economy.

It was meant to work with local and international ecosystem players to build an integrated digital economy anchored in 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.

The programme would be structured around four key pillars.

“It includes a national digital economy masterplan with clear milestones, hyperscale infrastructure development through interconnected digital hubs, and 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, the 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.

Chairman of IDCA, Mehdi Paryavi, said Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, possessed the potential to become more impactful across the continent and beyond.

Paryavi said that the initiative represented more than a national project, describing it as a platform for long-term economic value creation.

Mr Roger Strukhoff, Chief Research Officer of IDCA, also said the programme would support Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a regional digital powerhouse.

Strukhoff said the initiative provided a structured and investment-ready framework capable of aligning national digital strategies with global best practices and effective execution.