Tech, Business Leaders Meet On Africa Data Sovereignty

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry leaders, regulators, and enterprise executives are set to dialogue on Africa’s Data Sovereignty at a high-stakes conference in Lagos.

The summit, slated for September 18th, 2025, in Lagos, will focus on data localisation, infrastructure readiness, and the next frontier of digital trust.

Convened by a leading provider of cloud and IT infrastructure solutions, Olla Systems, in partnership with a digital infrastructure intelligence platform, Africa Hyperscalers, the conference is expected to attract over 300 decision-makers from enterprise organisations, high-growth startups, and government institutions.

The summit is coming at a pivotal time, as countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana advance data domiciliation mandates that require regulated institutions to store and process data within national borders.

“Data sovereignty is not just about where data resides; it is also about who controls it, who benefits from it, and how it powers national development. Other regions retain over 80 per cent of their data onshore. Africa must break its digital dependence and build sovereign infrastructure that keeps our data, value, and opportunity within the continent,” says the chief executive officer(CEO) of Olla Systems and conference convener, Olusola Adenuga.

Over the past few years, she said, African national regulators such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have rolled out increasingly firm directives aimed at data sovereignty. Financial institutions, telecom operators, and public sector agencies are under pressure to migrate workloads from global clouds to locally hosted, regulation-compliant platforms.

To her, “But for many enterprises, the transition is complex. Legacy vendor relationships, downtime fears, and limited awareness of local alternatives have slowed progress. This conference is designed to change that narrative – by showcasing successful migrations, clarifying policy, and demystifying the tech stack that powers sovereign infrastructure.”

Themed ‘Empowering Enterprises with Secure, In-Country Infrastructure,’ the event will feature keynotes and panel sessions exploring the intersection of policy, performance, and trust. It will raise urgent questions about the risks of offshore dependency in an age of cyber threats and geopolitical volatility.

Confirmed speakers include Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria; Arnold Kavaarpuo, Executive Director, Data Protection Commission, Ghana; Philemon Lwanyaga, Data Protection Affairs Department, Personal Data Protection Office, Uganda; Dr. Ayotunde Coker, Chief Executive Officer, Open Access Data Centres; Lars Johannisson, Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre; Ibukun Owa, Head, Regulations, Nigeria Data Protection Commission; and Olusola Adenuga, Chief Executive Officer, Olla Systems, among others.