Connectivity, Computing Power, Digital Skills Critical to Nigeria’s $1trn Economy – NITDA
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for an integrated investment approach that combines digital connectivity, computing infrastructure and human capital development to accelerate Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, said reliable connectivity, adequate computing power and digital skills were essential to unlocking the full potential of the digital economy and driving inclusive economic growth.
Abdullahi stated this at the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in Abuja.
He said digital connectivity had become a foundational infrastructure powering productivity across sectors, including financial services, healthcare, education and agriculture.
According to him, Nigeria’s economic transformation and the emergence of innovative services such as financial technology would not have been possible without the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure.
He, however, stressed that connectivity alone could not deliver the full benefits of digital transformation, noting that the country must complement network expansion with investments in computing power, data storage, processing infrastructure and digital skills.
“When we connect, we collect data, but we need to store that data, process it, and make sense out of it. So we need to think of compute power,” he said.
The NITDA chief explained that computing infrastructure was particularly important for artificial intelligence, which he described as a major driver of the next phase of economic growth.
He said without adequate computing capacity and supporting infrastructure, Nigeria would struggle to create value from the emerging AI economy.
Abdullahi also emphasised the importance of developing digital talent capable of creating innovative solutions and digital services that would enable Nigerians to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
He said NITDA was working with the NCC and other regulatory agencies to establish standards and frameworks for technology deployment across different sectors.
According to him, the agency was also collaborating with the Ministry of Education to integrate digital skills into formal education to develop the human capital required to drive digital transformation.
He called for an ecosystem approach that would bring regulators and stakeholders together to ensure that connectivity investments translated into tangible economic and social benefits.
The NITDA director-general noted that sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education increasingly depended on digital infrastructure and computing power to improve productivity and service delivery.
He explained that precision agriculture, digital healthcare and technology-enabled education required reliable connectivity, adequate computing capacity and skilled personnel to develop and deploy relevant solutions.
Abdullahi said the approach aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy through inclusive growth and expanded economic opportunities.
The forum, themed “Unlocking Infrastructure Investment Through Data Transparency and Partnerships,” brought together government officials, investors, development finance institutions, telecommunications operators and technology companies to explore investment opportunities in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed that Nigerians consumed approximately 1.6 million terabytes of data in July 2026, compared with about 1.3 million terabytes in the corresponding period of 2025, highlighting the growing demand for digital connectivity.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, also described digital infrastructure as critical to Nigeria’s investment climate and international trade competitiveness, while the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, called for stronger partnerships to expand connectivity and attract sustainable investment.
