The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has warned that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s data is hosted outside the country, raising concerns over data sovereignty and national security.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, raised the alarm while delivering a keynote address at the IoT West Africa Conference, where he stated that the trend poses significant risks to Nigeria’s control over its digital assets.
He further described the situation as precarious for the nation’s sovereignty, and called for urgent investment in local data infrastructure.
Olatunji emphasised that data centres have become critical infrastructure in the digital age, adding that compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, is essential to safeguarding the country’s digital economy.
He also warned that failure to comply with data protection regulations could expose organisations to legal, financial, and reputational risks.Despite these concerns, he highlighted growth prospects in the sector, noting that the country’s data centre market is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2031, driven by increasing demand for cloud services and digital solutions.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, emphasised the importance of policy as a key enabler.
Represented at the event by Aristotle Onumo, he said: “While infrastructure responds to demand, policy remains the critical driver that creates an enabling environment for sustainable digital growth.”
He further highlighted the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project as a strategic initiative to strengthen indigenous cloud providers and reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure, noting that scaling local capacity would help domesticate data hosting and improve access to services.
The DG also pointed to demand-side initiatives, explaining that government efforts such as the consolidation of servers across agencies are helping to stimulate investment in data centres. He also called for wider stakeholder engagement, stating, “We are no longer looking at IT from the perspective of infrastructure alone, but as an integrated system that creates value for the people.
“If we must achieve our mission, we need you, and you need us. Together, we can make Nigeria a digitally enabled nation, fostering inclusive economic development through technological innovation.”
- Media Report