By James Ishaku
Nigeria’s push toward a fully digital economy is gaining momentum as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to advance the e-governance and digital economy bill, aimed at strengthening regulations for emerging technologies and accelerating public sector innovation.
Speaking at the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardisation (GIST) Nigeria Introductory Stakeholder Workshop in Abuja, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, representing the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said Nigeria has moved beyond policy design and is now actively implementing its national artificial intelligence (ai) roadmap.
He explained that the current phase is focused on developing clear guidelines and regulatory frameworks to ensure ai deployment aligns with ethical standards, accountability, and robust safeguards.
As part of the country’s broader digital transformation strategy, the government is also advancing data classification initiatives to improve access to clean, reliable datasets needed for ai training. At the same time, it is driving cloud adoption across public institutions to boost efficiency, scalability, and service delivery.
Inuwa emphasised the need for a “cloud-first” policy, noting that continued dependence on on-premise systems could slow large-scale digital transformation. However, he added that cloud integration would be implemented carefully to protect Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and secure critical national data.
Progress is also being made in the e-governance sector through the development of an interoperability framework and the Nigerian Government Enterprise Architecture. Work is equally ongoing on a data exchange platform designed to support Government Statistics Digital Public Infrastructure (dpi), which is expected to improve data sharing and coordination among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (mdas).
The initiative is expected to streamline public sector digital projects while opening up opportunities for private sector collaboration.
Inuwa stressed the need for stronger cooperation among government agencies, industry players, and other stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure. He expressed confidence that the proposed legislation and related initiatives would strengthen Nigeria’s position in digital governance while promoting innovation, transparency, and inclusive growth.
Earlier, the European Commission’s Team Leader for Digital Governance, Peter Marien (DG INTPA), highlighted the importance of international collaboration in shaping global digital standards.
He noted that the European Union’s digital strategy prioritises partnerships and ecosystem alignment across regions, including Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Marien referenced a recent e-governance engagement held in Brussels in partnership with Smart Africa, which included participation from NITDA. He described Nigeria’s involvement in the GIST initiative as a strong indication of the country’s commitment to global digital governance.
He further emphasised the EU’s commitment to building a human-centric digital ecosystem focused on inclusivity, privacy, and security, noting that its 27 member states have spent more than two decades developing a cohesive citizen-centred digital framework.
Marien also identified Nigeria as a key player in Africa’s pursuit of a unified digital market, highlighting its role in promoting cross-border digital integration.
According to him, standards serve as the “invisible backbone” of modern societies, supporting critical systems across multiple sectors, while the GIST platform provides a valuable avenue for aligning technical standards and encouraging knowledge exchange across regions.
