GITEX 2026: NIGERIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE DEPENDS ON LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, SKILLS, INNOVATION -NITDA DG

By Lukman Oladokun

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to building a private sector-driven, government-enabled digital economy, describing technology as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy.

Reacting to responses from Rhett Power, a Forbe USA columnist on the theme “The Nigeria First Approach to Building Digital Sovereignty” during a fireside chat at GITEX 2026 in Lagos, Inuwa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been serving as Nigeria’s “Chief Marketing Officer” by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and attract investment into the country’s digital ecosystem.

According to him, digital transformation is no longer optional for economic growth. “Today, you cannot talk about business or the economy without talking about digital technology. If we are serious about building a trillion-dollar economy, digital technology will play a critical role. Technology is a powerful tool that can help organisations and individuals achieve two, three or even ten times more productivity, leading to greater prosperity and wealth creation across the country,’’ he said.

The NITDA boss noted that while digital technologies present enormous opportunities, Nigeria must also ensure it has control over the infrastructure that powers the digital economy.

He explained that value creation in the digital age depends heavily on data, connectivity and computing power. However, without adequate control over how data is collected, stored, processed and governed, nations may struggle to fully realise the benefits of technological advancement.

To address this challenge, he highlighted the Federal Government’s National Cloud First Policy, which encourages government institutions and large organisations to prioritise cloud adoption when deploying digital solutions.