Nigeria’s digital economy is entering a phase where internet access alone is no longer enough. The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, is calling for stronger investment in three connected areas: reliable connectivity, computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence and digital talent.
NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi made the appeal in a statement shared by the agency, stressing that these foundations will be important to the country’s next stage of digital development. The call comes at a time when Nigeria is working to expand its domestic technology capacity and attract investment into cloud, data centres and AI infrastructure.
The message reflects a wider shift from discussing startups and applications to the infrastructure underneath them. Digital services can only scale when networks, computing capacity and skilled people are available.
Also Read: Can Nigeria Become Africa’s Largest Producer of AI Talent by 2030?
NITDA puts infrastructure at the centre of digital growth
For Nigeria, connectivity remains one of the requirements for participation in the digital economy. Businesses, students, public institutions and technology workers increasingly depend on dependable internet access to communicate, learn, sell products, deliver services and compete with customers and employers in other countries.
NITDA’s latest position also places computing power alongside connectivity. This matters because modern AI systems require substantial processing capacity, storage and supporting infrastructure. Without access to affordable and reliable compute, Nigerian researchers, startups and developers can find it difficult to train, test and deploy more advanced AI products locally.
The agency has been linking this infrastructure conversation to digital sovereignty. At GITEX Nigeria 2026, Inuwa said Nigeria needed greater control over the infrastructure supporting data, connectivity and computing because those systems influence how digital value is created and captured. NITDA has also said its cloud approach is intended to encourage investment while supporting local capacity and compliance with Nigerian rules.
The Federal Government’s National Digital Cloud Policy, unveiled in August 2026, reinforces that direction. The policy is designed to attract investment into cloud and data-centre infrastructure and increase Nigeria’s ability to host, process and export digital services across the region.
Digital talent must translate into jobs and businesses
Infrastructure, however, cannot produce a digital economy without people who know how to use it. That is why digital talent remains the third part of NITDA’s message.
Nigeria already has a growing pool of developers, data professionals, cybersecurity specialists, designers and other technology workers, although access to advanced tools remains uneven. Government programmes such as the 3 Million Technical Talent initiative are designed to expand this workforce, with training covering areas including software development, AI and machine learning, cloud computing, data science, cybersecurity and other technical fields.
NITDA’s wider argument is that training should connect to real economic opportunities. At a recent UNGA81 session on Africa’s digital workforce, Inuwa said the continent had made progress in training but still faced difficulty moving trained people into employment and enterprise. That issue is especially important in Nigeria, where young people need pathways from learning to paid work, entrepreneurship and participation in global digital markets.
The opportunity also extends beyond software jobs and the familiar startup story often associated with Nigeria’s technology sector. Expanding data centres and cloud infrastructure creates demand for network engineers, electrical and mechanical specialists, technicians, cybersecurity professionals and other workers who keep digital systems running.
Back Story: Nigeria’s push for digital sovereignty
The latest investment call fits into a broader policy direction that has been developing across Nigeria’s technology sector. NITDA has been promoting local digital capability, while the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is working on AI research, skills development and adoption.
One notable development is N-ATLAS, Nigeria’s open-source multilingual large language model, which supports Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English. NCAIR says the programme is intended to place local languages and Nigerian context closer to the foundation of AI development.
NITDA is also using the National AI Innovation Challenge to encourage universities, research institutions, startups and independent developers to build practical solutions on N-ATLAS. Applications opened on September 22 and are scheduled to close on October 12, 2026.
Taken together, these efforts show why NITDA is asking for more investment now. Connectivity can provide access, compute can provide the processing power, and talent can turn both into useful products and services. The challenge for Nigeria will be ensuring that these investments develop together, reach beyond major technology centres, including rural communities and smaller urban centres, and create lasting capacity within the country.
Also Read: Nigeria’s Digital Cloud Policy Targets $750 Million Private Investment in Two Years
