By Martin Ekpeke
The Co-Chair of the Technical Working Group for Nigeria’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, has called for a decisive shift toward national data localization, warning that relying on foreign entities to store critical national data poses serious security and economic risks.
Giving a remark at the official signing of the National Sovereign Cloud Framework in Abuja, Engr. Nnamani, who is also the CEO of Digital Realty commended the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mal. Kashifu Inuwa for ensuring the working group’s recommendations were designed for enforcement rather than remaining theoretical research.
Nnamani disclosed that the working group prioritized national interest above corporate ties, deliberately crafting policies designed to plug regulatory loopholes and build a self-reliant digital economy.
“We are now living in a time where, based on geopolitical considerations, it is a risk to put the sovereignty of your country’s data in third parties’ hands. Data is no longer just the new oil, data is now life. Nigeria cannot continue to take the risk of putting its life in the hands of third parties who can decide to deny access to your own data tomorrow,” warned Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani.
He outlined four critical economic and strategic drivers necessitating the immediate implementation of the sovereign cloud framework. First, establishing locally governed infrastructure ensures data sovereignty and security by mitigating the risk of third-party control or access revocation over national data.
Second, ensuring Nigerian institutions process and store data domestically stops the outflow of foreign exchange paid to overseas cloud hosts, thereby reversing capital flight.
Third, the policy spurs foreign direct investment by encouraging global cloud operators and infrastructure developers to build hyper-scale data centers directly within Nigeria.
Finally, he argued that localized data infrastructure drives mass job creation by generating technical and operational employment opportunities for Nigerian youths across the construction, management, and maintenance phases.
Meanwhile, comparing the initiative to Nigeria’s early telecommunications sector deregulation, Nnamani predicted a rapid influx of private sector investment as enforcement begins, citing similar market responses following recent digital mandates by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
While acknowledging that the implementation phase would require significant cross-sector collaboration and heavy lifting, Nnamani expressed optimism that joint efforts between NITDA, government agencies, and private sector stakeholders will position Nigeria as a leader in sovereign digital infrastructure.