Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called on public and private sector stakeholders to ramp up investments in Nigeria’s digital foundation.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has advocated for accelerated investments across digital connectivity, computing power and local talent development to unlock the full economic potential of data and artificial intelligence in Nigeria.
Speaking at the National Digital Connectivity Investment Forum hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abdullahi framed digital connectivity as essential infrastructure required to boost nationwide productivity and drive inclusive economic development. He urged public and private stakeholders to adopt an ecosystem model that links physical network expansion directly with computing capacity and skills training to support high-growth sectors such as financial inclusion, digital health, agricultural technology and educational tools.
A core theme of the address was the necessity of treating network connectivity, processing power and human capital as an interconnected unit rather than isolated investment areas.
Abdullahi noted that expanding broadband networks alone is insufficient if local businesses and public institutions lack the computing power required to host advanced software and run data-heavy artificial intelligence workloads.
He pointed to strategic federal initiatives including the Cloud First Policy and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) as structural steps aimed at attracting private-sector capital into domestic data centers and computing facilities.
Furthermore, he said that establishing local computing capacity ensures local communities are properly represented in the datasets used to train global AI models, preventing digital exclusion.
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In addition to physical infrastructure, the NITDA chief emphasized the role of targeted human capital development in preparing the workforce for an AI-driven global economy.
The Director-General commended the NCC and telecommunications operators for zero-rating educational technology services, a move that provides free access to learning platforms for students across the country.
He reaffirmed NITDA’s ongoing commitment to collaborating with industry regulators and private enterprise to establish flexible standards, regulatory guidelines and skilling frameworks. By combining widespread connectivity with accessible digital training, the agency aims to build a competitive workforce capable of delivering high-value digital services both domestically and internationally.
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