2 hrs ago
Leaders Urge Local Cloud Investment for Nigeria’s Digital Economy
Telecommunications help power many parts of Nigeria’s digital economy, including banking, education and healthcare.
At a telecom forum in Lagos, experts discussed how to improve the country’s digital infrastructure.
Ike Nnamani said Nigeria needs cloud facilities inside the country to keep Nigerian data locally stored.
Without them, data may travel through submarine cables and be stored in other countries.
The government has created a plan called the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative to address this problem.
Speakers also said building and operating telecom networks is becoming more expensive.
They noted that many people have mobile phones, but broadband internet access is still lower.
They also called for better rural connectivity and more skilled technology workers.
Telecom leaders at TSSF 7.0 called for smarter digital infrastructure plans to attract investment and support innovation.
Ike Nnamani warned that without local cloud infrastructure, Nigerian data would continue to be routed through submarine cables and stored abroad.
Nnamani said the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative aims to localise cloud services and support a government Cloud-First policy.
Industry speakers cited rising infrastructure, energy, financing and foreign-exchange costs as major challenges to telecom expansion.
Speakers also highlighted Nigeria’s 90 percent mobile penetration, 67 percent broadband penetration and continued rural connectivity gap.
- Who
- Policymakers, regulators, telecom operators, investors and industry experts, including Ike Nnamani and other TSSF 7.0 speakers.
- What
- The Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum 7.0 examined Nigeria’s digital infrastructure needs, local cloud capacity, investment and innovation.
- Where
- Lagos, Nigeria.
- When
- Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
- Why
- The forum addressed rising infrastructure costs, limited broadband access, the need to attract investment and the importance of keeping Nigerian data and cloud services locally available.
Key facts
- Event
- Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF) 7.0
- Theme
- Rethinking Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy to Attract Investment and Drive Innovation
- Mobile penetration
- 90 percent, according to Chidi Ajuzie’s cited current data
- Broadband penetration
- 67 percent, according to Chidi Ajuzie’s cited current data from the Nigerian Communications Commission
- Cloud policy
- The National Information Technology Development Agency established a Technical Working Group to support a Cloud-First policy for government services.
- Cloud initiative
- The National Sovereign Cloud Initiative is intended to localise cloud services and domicile cloud operations in Nigeria.
- Key infrastructure pressures
- Rising infrastructure, financing, energy and network-deployment costs, alongside foreign-exchange pressures and inflation.
Quotes
Ike Nnamani
CEO of Digital Realty Nigeria and Co-Chair of the National Sovereign Investment Technical Working Group
“The regulators issue spectrum, they don’t licence service. What you do with the spectrum they give you is up to you, based on the technology you decide to adopt.”
wionews.com
“For instance, if one wants to host data belonging to Nigerians, it should be sitting in a geographical space within Nigeria.”
wionews.com
Sources
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