The Federal Government has called for the development of indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on technologies developed in other jurisdictions.
Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said this in Abuja on Monday at the opening of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition Nigeria (GITEX).
The event had as its theme: “Beyond Connectivity, The Bridge to Sovereign AI and Innovation.”
Inuwa said AI sovereignty was about developing capacities for digital self-determination and the need for connectivity, especially in Africa after missing out on the first, second and third Industrial Revolutions.
According to him, Nigeria as a nation is doing a lot in building the digital infrastructure and the technology to support its future growth and development.
“In terms of connectivity, we have Project Bridge, the ambitious project to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optics in Nigeria to connect the unconnected.
“We have just signed some regulatory instruments around cloud subnets, data subnets, how we can build more data centres in Nigeria and we are challenging our startups to build the algorithm, because we cannot rely on AI built in other jurisdictions.
“The second area of capacity we need to build is about the data subnets, the data governance, how do we collect data, process it, store it, because we need the data to develop the AI model we are building,” he said.
According to him, the third component is about operational sovereignty over the AI we use and if we don’t have control over it.
“It means whoever controls that AI can manipulate us and control everything we do,” he said.
Inuwa said African countries needed to strengthen their AI legal framework, adding that this year’s GITEX was a time of reflection on building indigenous AI capacity and sovereignty.
Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the theme captured the direction Nigeria was headed, adding that the country was driven towards building technology, exporting digital solutions and AI development.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of Political and Economic Affairs Office, Mrs Augusta Warrens, Akume said the President Bola Tinubu administration was committed to the digital transformation of the country.
He said that the government had prioritised digital identity reforms, which led to the assent of the National Identity Management Commission Act 2026.
“This new law provides a robust legal framework for identity management, reinforcing our pursuit of data sovereignty because Nigeria possesses the expertise and capacity to build, manage and secure its own digital identity infrastructure.
“The designation of digital infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, alongside tariff adjustment and tax capitalisation, has created an enabling environment for digitalisation,” Akume said.
He also highlighted the federal government’s talent pool development through the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
He said that from its inception, there had been 1.87 million registrations across the country and no fewer than 125,000 Nigerians trained.
“The newly unveiled National Digital Cloud Policy targets an ambitious $750 million in private investment in Nigeria’s cloud and data infrastructure within 24 months,” he said.
He said GITEX was established to solidify the foundation Africa needed for digital sovereignty, technological self-determination and a global competitive AI-powered economy.
Sen. Salisu Afolabi, Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, said AI sovereignty was about the security and innovation in the country which impacted the economy.
Afolabi pledged the commitment of lawmakers in ensuring that laws and regulations would serve the country for a better governed cyberspace.
According to him, they were developing the National Digital Economy and Innovation Bill, a legal framework to deploy digital technologies and provide collaborations.
He said they were reviewing the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy for possible amendments, and other laws to address online child abuse, molestation and related crimes.
“We are therefore coming up with a new bill that will totally repeal the existing law and come up with a more comprehensive law that will take care of the realities, the life trajectory that we have seen,” he said.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, represented by Mr Olatunbosun Alake, Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, said the success of digital transformation in Nigeria began with state governments committed to improving technology.
He also said that the Nigerian Startup Act (NSA) gave startups a legal identity while the Nigeria Data Protection Act gave the digital economy a trust framework.
He said Lagos had laid more than 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable between 2019 and 2025, attracted foreign direct investment for the deployment of about 30,000 kilometres of 28-way fibre ducts along its economic corridors, among other achievements.
He urged participants to treat Lagos as a hub to build African engineering capability, partner with companies, hire talents and run continental strategies, adding that the state had built infrastructure for the next technological generation.
Coordinated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), GITEX would hold from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3 in Abuja and Lagos.
