The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) have officially launched the Joint Technical Committee of the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative (JTC-NSCI).
This multi-agency body is tasked with managing the fiscal, procurement, and investment frameworks necessary to successfully deploy Nigeria’s sovereign cloud.
The committee is chaired by BOF Director General Tanimu Yakubu, with NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa CCIE serving as co-chair, and brings together experts from across public finance, cybersecurity, power, and data governance.
During the inauguration, Chairman Yakubu highlighted that managing digital infrastructure investments is fundamentally a matter of state capacity, especially as government spending on technology continues to rise.
He outlined the committee’s primary responsibility: ensuring these investments are rigorously planned, prioritized, and capable of delivering sustainable value from public resources.
The ultimate goal, he noted, is to reduce duplication across agencies, optimize current capacities, and drive better-informed decisions that build a resilient digital foundation for the country.
Yakubu further stressed that a successful sovereign cloud strategy does not require the government to independently finance or own every piece of digital infrastructure.
Instead, he advocated for a collaborative model that leverages private capital and competitive markets, supported by the steady, long-term demand generated by public sector needs.
Because the initiative spans multiple sectors, from power connectivity to central regulation, he emphasized that no single institution can drive this transformation alone, reflecting the diverse inter-agency composition of the JTC-NSCI.
Co-chair Kashifu Inuwa underscored the critical national security and economic implications of the initiative, framing it as a vital step toward digital self-determination.
He warned that continued reliance on foreign digital infrastructure effectively places Nigeria’s future, along with its data, algorithms, and AI capabilities, under the control of external entities.
By establishing domestic data control, he argued, Nigeria can confidently navigate the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while safeguarding its digital sovereignty.
To move the initiative forward, Inuwa announced that NITDA is developing a robust certification process for cloud service providers and infrastructure integrators that meet national standards.
A core component of this strategy is the introduction of a “cloud-first” policy for federal agencies, designed to eliminate the heavy financial and operational burdens of maintaining disparate, state-owned data centers.
This approach is expected to slash operational budgets, harmonize regulations, and make the sector highly attractive to private investors.
The initiative also has strong backing from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
Director General Dr. Adebowale Adedokun described the committee’s formation as a critical paradigm shift that aligns perfectly with the Public Procurement Act.
He affirmed the BPP’s commitment to enforcing compliance, noting that maximizing scarce resources through unified, digital collaboration is the only way for Nigeria to remain competitive and secure on the global stage.
Ultimately, the inauguration of the JTC-NSCI provides a focused, inter-agency platform to coordinate Nigeria’s sovereign cloud agenda.
By analyzing government ICT expenditure, total cost of ownership, and budget alignment, the committee aims to streamline infrastructure financing and ensure that the fiscal implications of cloud adoption deliver lasting value for the nation.
(Boardroom)
