FG Targets $750m Private Investment with New Cloud Policy

The Federal Government has unveiled the National Digital Cloud Policy, targeting $750 million in private investment in Nigeria’s cloud and data centre infrastructure over the next 24 months.

The policy was unveiled by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, attract investment and position the country as a regional hub for digital services.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Under the policy, the government plans to mobilise $250 million in private investment within the first 12 months, with the target rising to $750 million by the end of the 24-month implementation period.

The initiative comes days after the National Information Technology Development Agency signed key regulatory documents under Nigeria’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, aimed at establishing a trusted cloud ecosystem and strengthening digital infrastructure.

According to Tijani, the policy provides a coordinated framework for investment in cloud and data centre infrastructure while supporting government digital transformation and the development of indigenous digital capabilities.

He said the policy would also help position Nigeria as a regional digital services and hosting hub while introducing safeguards for government and regulated data.

“The Federal Government’s initial ambition is to mobilise US$250 million in private investment within the first 12 months, rising to US$750 million within 24 months,” Tijani said.

The policy is built around four priorities: investment and market development, regional digital services exports, government cloud transformation, and digital sovereignty and security.

A major component of the policy is the aggregation of government demand for cloud services to stimulate domestic infrastructure investment.

Under the framework, the government will aggregate cloud capacity requirements from multiple registered providers and provide shared government cloud services.

Tijani said the approach would reduce duplicated government expenditure, improve commercial terms and create predictable demand for private investors in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.

The minister said Nigeria must transition from being predominantly a consumer of global cloud infrastructure to becoming a competitive destination for infrastructure investment, digital skills and technology services.

“Our approach is deliberately open and investment-oriented. We want Nigerian and international providers to invest, build capacity, develop talent and serve both the Nigerian market and the wider African continent from Nigeria,” he said.

The policy assigns different responsibilities to key government institutions to strengthen regulatory certainty and prevent conflicts between regulatory, operational and procurement functions.

NITDA will provide regulatory oversight, standards and assurance, while Galaxy Backbone Limited will lead operational delivery, shared infrastructure and demand aggregation.

The Bureau of Public Procurement will ensure that the implementation aligns with public procurement requirements.

A Sovereign Government Cloud Governance Committee, chaired by the communications minister, will provide strategic oversight and coordinate implementation of the sovereignty framework across government.

The policy will be implemented through a phased 24-month roadmap.

During the first six months, the government will focus on policy activation, baseline assessments, implementation directives, institutional arrangements and investment facilitation.

Between six and 12 months, implementation will include the operationalisation of the National Digital Marketplace, migration of priority ministries, departments and agencies to cloud services, onboarding of registered providers and regional market development.

The final 12 months will focus on scaling government migration, expanding cloud capacity, onboarding participating states, improving regional interconnection and accelerating digital service exports.

The policy comes amid growing cybersecurity concerns as more government and commercial services move online.

In May, NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team issued an advisory on DeepLoad, an artificial intelligence-powered malware that it said was targeting government agencies, financial institutions, businesses and individuals.

The development has heightened the focus on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure protection and stronger governance frameworks as Nigeria expands its digital economy.