Nigeria has introduced a National Digital Cloud Policy to strengthen the country’s cloud and data infrastructure, attract investment, and position it as a leading digital services hub for West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The policy establishes a national framework to expand cloud capacity, increase public-sector adoption, support digital exports, and strengthen data sovereignty.
The government plans to build on Nigeria’s large domestic market, international submarine cable connectivity and growing technology workforce to develop a stronger regional cloud services market. It also aims to address infrastructure challenges, particularly unreliable power supply and regulatory barriers, through targeted investment incentives.
These measures include fiscal duty exemptions for data centre equipment and energy systems, streamlined regulatory processes, assurances around capital mobility and an anchor-demand framework intended to create predictable demand for digital infrastructure.
The policy also promotes dedicated clean-energy generation for data centres, expansion of hosting infrastructure beyond Lagos and wider national backbone connectivity. A Technology Export and Digital Trade Desk is proposed to support Nigeria’s participation in regional and international digital trade.
Cloud-First Government
For the public sector, the policy introduces a mandatory “Cloud-First” approach requiring Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise cloud deployment when developing new digital systems.
Existing government infrastructure will undergo phased migration to cloud environments, while public cloud procurement will be consolidated under a whole-of-government model operated by Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB).
The approach is designed to use government-wide purchasing power to secure volume-based pricing, reduce duplicated infrastructure spending and simplify procurement through a National Digital Marketplace.
MDAs will also be required to create dedicated recurring budget lines for cloud services. A ring-fenced Anchor Capacity Fund will provide additional support for longer-term commercial commitments. At the same time, state governments and other subnational entities can participate voluntarily in government cloud framework agreements.
Risk-Based Data Sovereignty
The policy introduces a risk-based approach to data sovereignty, classifying sovereign data into four levels: Classified (Level 4), Highly Sensitive (Level 3), Sensitive (Level 2) and Open (Level 1).
Level 4 data must be hosted exclusively on infrastructure physically located in Nigeria and under sovereign control, while Level 1 data will have no mandatory residency restrictions.
The framework seeks to balance national security and data protection with access to competitive international cloud services.
NITDA will serve as the primary policy and regulatory authority, while GBB will act as the main infrastructure provider and aggregator. The Bureau of Public Procurement will oversee procurement compliance, supported by a Sovereign Government Cloud Governance Committee.
24-Month Implementation
The policy sets out a three-phase implementation programme spanning 24 months. The initial phase will focus on baseline audits, governance structures and approval of sovereignty controls. This will be followed by activation of the digital marketplace, initial cloud migrations and wider regional expansion.
Progress will be measured through indicators including private investment, data centre capacity, public-sector savings and the number of certified technical professionals.
The National Digital Cloud Policy replaces Nigeria’s 2019 Cloud Computing Policy. It will operate alongside the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 as a key framework for the country’s cloud and digital infrastructure development.
