Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has emphasised that robust policy frameworks, not just infrastructure, will shape Nigeria’s digital future.

NITDA

Inuwa, represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnership, made this known at the IoT West Africa Conference themed “The Lagos Abuja Digital Corridor: Building Africa’s Next Data Centre and Cloud Hub”.

Onumo stated that while infrastructure meets demand, policy creates the enabling environment for sustainable digital growth, citing Nigeria’s broadband policy that mandates minimum speeds of 10 Mbps in rural areas and 25 Mbps in urban centres to guide deployment along the Lagos-Abuja corridor.

He stressed the need for collaboration among government, private sector and civil society, saying: “Collaboration massifies impact while partnership harnesses collective intelligence. No one can achieve this alone.”

Onumo highlighted the Nigerian Sovereign Cloud Project, designed to bolster local cloud providers, domesticate data hosting, cut costs and counter foreign hyperscale dominance by scaling infrastructure to global standards.

He added that policies must stimulate demand, pointing to government server consolidation as a driver for cloud investment and data centre development.

The NITDA boss advocated public-private partnerships for co-creating, co-owning and co-delivering digital services, noting: “We now view IT as an integrated system that delivers value to the people.”

Onumo called on stakeholders to partner with NITDA, declaring: “If we must succeed, we need you, and you need us. Together, we can build a digitally enabled Nigeria for inclusive growth.”

He spotlighted NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All initiative, targeting 70 per cent digital skills penetration by 2027 through NYSC partnerships to train 30 million Nigerians across 774 local government areas in three years.

In a related development, Dr Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), urged stronger data protection amid the data centre boom.

Olatunji, in his Day 2 keynote, emphasised data sovereignty under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, warning of compliance benefits versus non-compliance risks, as data centres become critical infrastructure.

Lamenting that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s data is hosted abroad, he called for investments in the sector projected to hit $1.9 billion by 2031.

Katsina State Government has entered into a strategic partnership with UK-based green technology company, Conflow Power Group Limited (CPG), for the deployment of 50,000 solar-powered smart streetlights embedded with artificial intelligence (AI) computing capabilities across the state.

The project, described as one of the first of its kind in Africa, is expected to position Katsina as a pioneer in distributed AI infrastructure by integrating street lighting, edge computing, surveillance, and public connectivity into a single platform.

The technology, known as iLamp, is designed as a solar-powered smart streetlight equipped with embedded low-power computing chips capable of handling AI-related tasks. According to Conflow Power Group, when deployed as a network, the connected lampposts can collectively function as a distributed AI data centre, enabling processing power to be spread across thousands of units rather than concentrated in a traditional facility.

Chairman of Conflow Power Group, Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, said the innovation was developed as a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to conventional data centres, which typically consume significant electricity and water resources.

He explained that each iLamp contains batteries charged through cylindrical solar panels, supplying renewable energy to onboard computing systems powered by energy-efficient AI chips.

“NVIDIA has created chips compact and efficient enough to be powered by as little as 15 watts, making it possible to integrate computing directly into streetlights,” Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying.

He noted that beyond lighting, the smart lampposts can also host AI-enabled cameras and sensors for public safety, traffic monitoring, and urban management applications.

Under the Katsina deployment, the iLamps are expected to feature cameras capable of detecting traffic violations such as speeding, illegal parking, and seatbelt non-compliance. The system may also support public Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, and digital monitoring services, subject to Nigeria’s regulatory and data protection requirements.

Special Adviser on Power and Energy to Katsina State Governor, Dr. Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmad, described the agreement as a landmark step in the state’s digital transformation agenda.

He said the deployment would not only improve public lighting and safety but also open up new revenue streams for the state through AI computing services and technology-enabled traffic enforcement.

“Today, Katsina becomes home to the only distributed AI data centre of its kind on the African continent. This means safer streets, real-time crime and terrorism prevention, free public internet, and new economic opportunities for our people,” Ahmad said.

According to the agreement, revenue generated from leasing computing power from the iLamp network to AI firms and digital service providers will support investors financing the infrastructure rollout, while Katsina is also expected to earn from traffic-related enforcement systems linked to the platform.

Conflow said an assembly plant for the iLamp units is also being established in Katsina as part of the deal, a move expected to support local job creation, technology transfer, and industrial development. While the units will initially be manufactured in Morocco, Taiwan, and Latvia, local assembly is projected to deepen Nigeria’s participation in emerging AI infrastructure markets.

Industry analysts, however, note that while the technology could support lighter AI workloads and edge computing closer to users, it is unlikely to replace conventional hyperscale data centres needed for advanced AI model training and large-scale cloud operations.

Experts say the iLamp model may instead complement traditional infrastructure by serving as decentralised access nodes, reducing latency for local AI applications and lowering dependence on grid-powered facilities.

The initiative comes amid growing global scrutiny of the energy and environmental footprint of AI systems, with governments and technology firms increasingly exploring sustainable alternatives for powering next-generation digital infrastructure.

With the agreement, Katsina joins a small group of jurisdictions experimenting with unconventional data infrastructure models, potentially positioning Nigeria as an early mover in Africa’s emerging AI and smart city ecosystem.

Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has decried persistent challenges such as vandalism, high operating costs, and regulatory bottlenecks threatening service delivery despite recent improvements in investment inflows.

Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, warned that the continuous attack are putting strains on Nigeria’s telecom sector which serve as the backbone of the country’s economic and digital systems,

Adebayo, speaking in an interview on ARISE News, described telecommunications as the critical foundation supporting all sectors of the economy.

“Telecom operators are the infrastructure of infrastructures that supports all other sectors,” he said, stressing that the industry remains central to power, transport, security, and financial services.

Adebayo noted that the recent 50% tariff adjustment has helped restore investor confidence in the sector after years of underinvestment.

“It has restored confidence in the sector… we are seeing investment, we are seeing now the impact of that investment,” he said, adding that the sector is now beginning to recover gradually.

But, he warned that improvements in service quality remain constrained by multiple external challenges, including vandalism, insecurity, and regulatory bottlenecks.

“Things can be better… but there are also other external factors… vandalism, behavior of public actors, behavior of non-state actors,” he explained.

Adebayo highlighted the scale of infrastructure damage, particularly on fibre networks, noting a major disparity between international and domestic connectivity routes.

“The fiber optic in the Atlantic… has witnessed probably one outage in two years… the one running from Lagos to Kano, we record an average of about 40 cuts a day,” he said.

He explained that such disruptions significantly increase operating costs and affect service quality across the country.

Beyond vandalism, he pointed to theft of telecom equipment such as batteries and generators, as well as security challenges that prevent timely restoration of services in some regions.

“Issue of security… people are stealing batteries, they’re stealing generators,” he said, noting that some areas remain inaccessible during outages until security conditions improve.

Adebayo also called for urgent reforms in right-of-way charges and taxation policies, arguing that telecom infrastructure should be treated as essential national infrastructure.

“Right of way should become free of charge across the country… issue of multiple taxation… it has to be a thing of the past,” he stated.

On rising energy costs, he said operators are gradually adopting hybrid and renewable energy solutions, although the transition is slow and still exposed to vandalism risks.

“We are doing a lot on renewable energy and providing hybrid solution… but that takes time,” he said.

Adebayo concluded that while policy support and investment inflows are improving the outlook of the sector, sustainable progress will depend on stronger protection of telecom infrastructure and coordinated action among government, regulators, and communities to address vandalism, insecurity, and regulatory inefficiencies.