Start-ups in Nigeria will receive subsidised sovereign cloud services through a partnership between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Galaxy Backbone Limited.
The initiative, managed via the Office for Nigerian digital Innovation (ONDI), provides participants in the iHatch programme with access to enterprise-grade infrastructure to reduce dependence on foreign platforms.
iHatch is a 5-month, free, intensive incubation programme for early-stage Nigerian entrepreneurs (aged 18–35) to develop innovative, scalable business models.
The new partnership is expected to lower infrastructure barriers for these early-stage technology firms by providing enterprise-grade cloud resources at subsidised rates while encouraging local data hosting and compliance with Nigeria’s data sovereignty objectives.
Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, described the partnership as a strategic intervention designed to improve the resilience and global competitiveness of Nigerian start-ups.
He said access to reliable digital infrastructure remains critical for startups seeking to scale and compete internationally.
Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Ibrahim Adeyanju, said the initiative would enable start-ups to host data locally while strengthening Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and economic resilience.
He added that Galaxy Backbone would implement a milestone-based support structure covering the building, validation and scaling phases of start-up development.
According to Adeyanju, cloud credits issued under the programme will remain valid for 12 months before start-ups migrate to subscription or pay-as-you-go billing models denominated in naira to shield beneficiaries from exchange rate volatility.
National Coordinator of ONDI, Victoria Fabunmi, said the iHatch programme has trained more than 160 startups through 37 innovation hubs nationwide.
She noted that the partnership is expected to accelerate innovation, deepen start-up growth and strengthen Nigeria’s broader digital economy.
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