NITDA calls for unified rules for technology investment in Africa
Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), at an event in Nairobi, Kenya, called on African states to unify their approach to regulating the technology sector. The agency’s Director General, Kashifu Abdullahi, voiced this position during ITW Data Cloud Africa 2026.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, NITDA believes fragmented regulatory systems create administrative barriers for technology companies. According to the agency, the need to obtain approvals from several agencies delays project implementation and may deter investment.
A single interaction channel
Abdullahi proposed creating a single regulatory interface through which companies would interact with government authorities. In his view, this should speed up licensing procedures and give investors greater certainty regarding project implementation timelines.
The head of NITDA noted that traditional siloed regulation no longer corresponds to technological development. He linked this to the convergence of areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure and high-density data centres.
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A co-regulation model
NITDA is developing a horizontal co-regulation model: the agency will establish general technology standards, while sector-specific regulators will be able to apply and adapt them in their respective fields. As an example, Abdullahi cited the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative (NSCI), whose standards, he said, could be used by the Central Bank of Nigeria in its sector.
In August, NITDA signed the NSCI documents, describing the initiative as a comprehensive national framework for the reliable adoption of cloud technologies, digital sovereignty, digital infrastructure provision and investment in cloud solutions.
Abdullahi also advocated for a common African framework for cross-border data exchange. In his view, it should be based on system interoperability, mutual recognition of regulatory standards and unified security protocols. He added that clear data classification would promote interoperability, while mutual recognition of standards would foster trust between regulators and companies in different African markets.
According to the head of NITDA, regulation should not primarily be a tool for revenue collection or strict control. He stated that its purpose should be to create markets, develop local capacity and attract long-term investment.
