The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Google have reaffirmed their commitment to making Nigeria a leading hub for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber security in West Africa.
The renewed partnership was announced on NITDA’s X page following a meeting between NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, and Marcus Jadotte, Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy (Cloud), in Abuja.
Officials from Nigeria’s key ministries attended the meeting to highlight the country’s efforts to align digital transformation goals with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda initiative.
The initiative includes plans to upgrade Nigeria’s education ecosystem through AI-powered platforms, equipping students with future-focused skills to enable them to enter the workforce.
Google and NITDA are also exploring how cloud infrastructure and cyber security tools can improve governance, cut technology spending in the public sector, boost national security and attract foreign investment.
The investment linked to this partnership aims to support smart technologies for public service delivery and modernise digital identity systems, with a focus on security and scalability.
According to NITDA, Nigeria stands to gain from improved digital service delivery, enhanced cyber resilience, and increased foreign direct investment. With the ICT sector contributing approximately 17% of Nigeria’s GDP in 2024 according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, the collaboration could catalyse further growth.
Meanwhile, Reuters projected that global AI-related investment would reach nearly$3 trillion through 2028, while Goldman Sachs and other sources estimated that tech giants’ AI/infrastructure spending could top $1.8trillion by 2030.
Tech experts believe this alliance could unlock real opportunities in infrastructure development, talent upskilling, and digital sovereignty – and touted the alliance as a new phase in Nigeria’s digital governance.
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