Stakeholders Back Digital Economy Bill, Call For Defined Institutional Mandates

Nigeria’s digital and technology stakeholders have expressed support for the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025, which seeks to establish a legal framework that will strengthen digital governance, boost innovation, and accelerate socio-economic development.

However, they urged the National Assembly to address potential overlaps between the proposed law and the mandates of existing agencies to prevent institutional conflict and regulatory burden.

The submissions were made on Monday at the National Assembly, Abuja, during a Public Hearing convened by the Joint Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives on ICT, Cybersecurity, Digital and Information Technology.

Among the groups that submitted their position was the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR), which commended the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and federal lawmakers for the initiative.

Presenting NADIR’s memorandum, its Legal Adviser, Barrister Yunus Abdulsalam (SAN), said the Bill represents a significant legislative intervention aimed at modernizing Nigeria’s digital governance ecosystem and regulating emerging technologies.

He, however, noted that certain provisions appear to replicate functions already assigned to agencies such as NITDA, NCC, and NDPC, saying such could “trigger constitutional and institutional disputes, raise compliance costs, and discourage private sector participation and investment.”

AbdulSalam recommended that the National Assembly adopt a “consolidation and amendment approach,” extracting the Bill’s innovative elements and integrating them into the existing Act, rather than creating new regulatory overlaps.

Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, said the Bill would enhance Nigeria’s digital competitiveness, strengthen e-governance service delivery, improve transparency, and boost the ease of doing business, particularly in the ICT sector.

Salisu noted that the digital economy currently contributes about 20 percent of Nigeria’s GDP, adding that the passage of the Bill would unlock greater opportunities for job creation, innovation, and revenue growth.

Chairman, House Committee on Digital and Information Technology, Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide, said the engagement reflects Nigeria’s commitment to a transparent and innovation-driven governance structure. He called the collaboration among lawmakers, regulators, and industry players “a new phase in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.”

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, lauded the National Assembly for advancing the proposed framework and assured that stakeholder concerns would be considered to guarantee a balanced outcome.

Noting that the Bill seeks to enable seamless data sharing across government institutions and foster synergy with the private sector, Tijani said its provisions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) could enhance Nigeria’s productivity and global digital competitiveness.

Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, stressed that Nigeria must adopt a modern digital legal framework to benefit from global technological shifts. He cited AI applications in agriculture for real-time data, weather patterns, and input quality as an example of the impact on food security.

At the hearing were officials of the Head of the Civil Service’s Office, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Galaxy Backbone, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), and the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), among others.

Declaring the session open, the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Oyelola Ashiru, who represented Senate President Godswill Akpabio, described the Bill as a bold step toward aligning Nigeria’s governance and economic policies with global digital realities.

The National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025, if passed into law, is expected to play a transformational role in Nigeria’s digital economy, comparable to the telecommunications liberalization policy of 2001.