The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has formed a strategic alliance with the Budget Office of the Federation, BOF, to strengthen Sovereign Cloud Implementation, SCI, and position Nigeria as one of the leading hubs for digital infrastructure.
To deepen the alliance, both Agencies inaugurated the Joint Technical Committee of the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, JTC-NSCI, meant to address key fiscal, expenditure, procurement, financing and investment considerations required for the effective implementation of the initiative.
Chaired by the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, with the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, serving as co-chair, the committee comprises government institutions across public finance, procurement, investment, connectivity, power and energy, cybersecurity, data governance, among others.
The JTC-NSCI will also provide a focused inter-agency platform for examining issues including Government ICT and cloud expenditure, total cost of ownership, utilisation of existing infrastructure, budget and procurement alignment, infrastructure financing, investment mobilisation and the fiscal implications of cloud adoption.
Yakubu noted that the government expenditure has continued to rise as public reliance on digital infrastructure deepens, adding that the central task before the committee is to ensure that such investments are effectively supervised to deliver efficiency and essential fiscal value across the government’s digital infrastructure.
He noted that the government does not need to finance or own every component of the digital infrastructure ecosystem, calling for an approach that mobilises private capital, competitive markets, and credible long-term demand to complement public investments.
Yakubu disclosed that the sovereign cloud implementation is an initiative that goes beyond the technology space, as it involves a wide range of public sector operators, noting that addressing the issues require the collaborative efforts of the relevant institutions.
He stated that the progress of the committee would be measured through improved utilisation of existing assets, reduced duplication, stronger resilience, better value for public expenditure, and increased private investment.
The DG of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa described the newly inaugurated committee as a laudable initiative capable of empowering Nigeria to take control of its data and reinforce the digital economy.
He warned that reliance on foreign digital infrastructure places the country's future in the hands of foreign companies, adding that the joint committee is a defining step for Nigeria's digital future.
The DG informed that NITDA is working toward certifying cloud service and infrastructure providers that meet Nigeria's sovereign cloud standard, alongside system integrators to help banks and government agencies migrate workloads.
Inuwa, who is also the co-chairman of the JTC – NSCI explained that the committee will introduce a cloud-first policy, which will enable agencies to cut costs, operational budgets, and the burden of running their own data centres, while assisting to harmonise regulatory issues across agencies and attract private investors.
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun described the committee as a paradigm shift toward achieving value for money across all sectors of the economy.
Adedokun informed that the initiative is fully aligned with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, expressing the organisation’s readiness to strengthen compliance to enable the cloud initiative to succeed and boost rapid investment and growth in the industry.
The formal inauguration of the JTC-NSCI signals the Federal Government’s resolve to ensure a more coordinated implementation of Nigeria's sovereign cloud agenda by bringing together the institutions responsible for the fiscal, regulatory, infrastructure, investment, security, and other enabling components necessary for successful implementation.
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