Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has emphasised that integrating intelligence, security, and sustainability is critical to driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and global competitiveness.

Inuwa made the remarks on Tuesday in Kano while delivering a goodwill message at the opening of the 19th International Conference (CONNOVATE 2025) of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), themed “Intelligent, Secure, and Sustainable Innovations for a Connected World.”

Represented by Engr. Salisu Kaka, Director of E-Government and Digital Economy Development, Inuwa said the three elements were now indispensable drivers of national progress. He highlighted the need for their convergence to unlock new opportunities in Nigeria’s technology sector, citing Estonia’s X-Road platform — which enables 99% of government services online — as a global model.

“In Nigeria, trust is the ultimate currency in our high-stakes digital environment, where scams and cybercrime are prevalent. Security builds and protects this trust,” Abdullahi said.

He stressed that while security provides the foundation, intelligence builds the structure, pointing to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and data analytics as tools for addressing Nigeria’s complex challenges. Warning that “innovation without security is unsustainable,” he likened it to “a high-performance race car without brakes.”

The DG urged the next wave of Nigerian startups to go beyond digitising existing processes to creating new value, citing AI-powered wealth management and ML-driven remote diagnostics as examples.

He further highlighted the various Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) initiatives supporting this vision, including the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, the national digital identity programme, interoperable payments, and human capital initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) and Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programmes.

Inuwa cited example with International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) President, Antony Wong, that called for stronger protection and strategic use of data in the Global South to safeguard indigenous knowledge. He stressed the importance of legal clarity on data ownership as Nigeria’s cultural heritage in medicine, ecology, and art is digitised and incorporated into AI systems. Wong praised Nigeria’s role in the recent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty protecting genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

Delivering his welcome address, the NCS President, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo, said the conference would serve as a platform for IT professionals to address critical issues, including intelligent systems, fintech, sustainable energy, and innovations in agriculture, health, education, and national planning.

“This conference will provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss recent innovations, trends, and solutions for improving technological systems,” Sirajo said.

The week-long event includes plenary sessions, a doctoral consortium, a youth and entrepreneurship forum, the Fellows Forum, the Annual General Meeting, an IT quiz competition for students, and an induction ceremony for new members. It will conclude with the election of new national executives, a dinner, and an awards night honouring contributions to the ICT sector.

Nigeria is set to host the 15th edition of the African Peering & Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) from August 19th to 21st in the city of Lagos.

Over 500 leaders and experts from the global Internet industry will gather in Lagos to examine the current state of Africa’s Internet ecosystem and explore ways to promote infrastructure development, network interconnection, and content hosting. These efforts aim to reduce costs, enhance performance, and strengthen Africa’s digital sovereignty in an increasingly interconnected world.

Participants will include Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), data centers, content delivery networks, cloud services, submarine cable operators, Internet service providers, as well as government representatives, researchers, development agencies, community networks, academia, hardware vendors, and the media.

Hosted at the Lagos Continental Hotel, AfPIF 2025 will focus on the West African region’s policy environment, carrier neutral data center market, and content delivery ecosystem. The programme will feature workshops, keynotes, panel discussions, bilateral meetings, lightning talks, and networking socials to create a dynamic space for networking, knowledge exchange, and business development.

Organised by the African IXP Association (AFIX) with the support of the Internet Society (ISOC) and hosted by the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Rack Centre, and AF-CIX, AfPIF provides the African Internet community with a unique platform to address shared challenges and emerging opportunities.

“For over 15 years, AfPIF has united the African Internet community to advance local network interconnection and traffic exchange across the continent. This has spurred investment in data centers, content hosting, and cross-border infrastructure — reducing costs, boosting performance, and broadening access while strengthening Africa’s economic independence and digital sovereignty” said African IXP Association Executive Director, Kyle Spencer. “We look forward to continuing this work in Lagos.”

“This year marks a significant milestone for Africa’s peering and interconnection community and the AfPIF event. It is the first time the AfPIF event is taking place in Africa’s most influential country, Nigeria, and under the new leadership of the African IXP Association. There is no better place to reimagine the future of peering and interconnection for the continent than in Lagos.

“It presents a platform to unlock cross-border infrastructure and traffic exchange across West Africa and a unique opportunity to discuss the east-to-west Africa terrestrial infrastructure gaps that can improve the region’s Internet resilience. We value and remain supportive of the community’s effort to address these and other priorities to advance Africa’s digital future.” said Michuki Mwangi, the Distinguished Technologist for Internet Growth at the Internet Society.

On behalf of the local hosts, Muhammed Rudman, the CEO of IXPN, emphasized their excitement to host AfPIF in Nigeria this year.

“We look forward to welcoming key stakeholders from the peering and interconnectivity ecosystem to Lagos. Together, we can create a dynamic environment that fosters collaboration among African countries, strengthens our Internet ecosystem, and enhances Internet access for underserved and unserved communities,” he said.

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the new pricing regime in the sector has already attracted over $1 billion in fresh infrastructure investments this year, few months after it took effect.

He stated this yesterday during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos. According to him, the policy introduced in February gave mobile network operators (MNOs) the green light to adjust tariffs by up to 50% after nearly a decade of stagnant pricing.

“This act alone, has allowed investments to flow in. We will be revealing more specific figures in the coming weeks after verification, but we are talking about over a billion dollars’ worth of investment in 2025 alone,” he said.

Maida explained that the new pricing regime has reversed years of under-investment that slowed network expansion and weakened service quality. He pointed out that before now, the value chain was lopsided—tower companies could adjust prices annually for inflation and FX rates, but MNOs were stuck with fixed tariffs.

“This is an industry that requires continuous investment. The world is moving ahead, and if we do not create the right conditions, we will be left behind,” he warned.

The decision, he added, aligns with the guiding principles of the 2000 Telecom Policy and the 2003 Communications Act, which favour market-driven pricing while ensuring healthy competition and consumer protection.

According to Maida, the benefits of the policy are already visible. Equipment ordered by operators has been arriving since June, with network expansion and upgrade works in progress nationwide.

“We are closely tracking the rollout. We hold weekly calls with operators to monitor site builds, upgrades, and to step in when they face challenges with authorities,” he said.

The EVC of NCC believes these investments will help boost capacity, improve service quality, and keep Nigeria competitive in the global telecom arena.

While the investment news is positive, Maida didn’t shy away from highlighting the operational cost pressures confronting operators.

He said the sector burns through over 40 million litres of diesel monthly, most of it imported, to power base stations.

On top of that, the industry is heavily dependent on FX for all network hardware and software imports, as there’s no local manufacturing of major telecom equipment.

“There is nothing you need to build or upgrade a network today in Nigeria that you can buy locally,” Maida stated.