Telecom
Nigeria’s $1 Trillion Economy Vision Hinges on Digital Backbone
Industry leaders at a summit on the implementation of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) framework in Nigeria have established a direct link between Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy ambition and the critical roles of digital infrastructure in the country.
L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Open Access Data Centre, Dr. Ayotunde Coker; Director, Legal (Global & Regional Business Affairs), Equinix, Abayomi Adebanjo; Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Lars Johannisson; Ass. Business Editor and panel moderator, Yemi Adepetun; and Convener, Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), Omobayo Azeez, at the 7th PIAFo Summit on Critical National Information Infrastructure held in Lagos on Thursday.
During a panel session titled Appraisal of Data Centre Infrastructure Risks in the Scheme of CNII Implementation, they underscored the need for robust investments in data centers, broadband expansion, and cybersecurity.
Moderated by Yemi Adepetun, Assistant Business Editor at The Guardian Newspaper, the session featured insights from top industry executives, who stressed that Nigeria’s digital economy hinges on resilient infrastructure, energy integration, and strategic policy implementation.
Participants are the Chief Executive Officer, Open Access Data Centre (OADC), Dr. Ayotunde Coker; CEO of Rack Centre, Lars Johannisson; and Director of Legal (Global and Regional Business Affairs) at Equinix, Mr. Abayomi Adebanjo.
The panel session formed a part of the just concluded seventh edition of Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) with the theme: “Strengthening Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure through Proactive Implementation and Strategic Coordination.”
Strengthening Nigeria’s Digital Backbone
OADC boss, Coker, highlighted the fundamental role of digital infrastructure in driving economic growth. He pointed out that connectivity, data centers, and power must be aligned to ensure digital resilience.
Dr. Coker acknowledged Nigeria’s recent progress in restoring connectivity through increased subsea cable capacity, citing Meta’s new subsea cable project as a significant boost to global connectivity. However, he stressed the urgency of upgrading outdated subsea cables and fast-tracking infrastructure projects such as the Equiano and 2Africa cables.
With the government’s plan to expand fibre optic capacity by 90,000 kilometers, Dr. Coker emphasized the direct economic impact of broadband penetration, stating that a 10% increase could contribute 2.5% GDP growth. He also noted that while South Africa houses 50% of Africa’s data center infrastructure, Nigeria must scale up investments to bridge the gap and compete on a global level.
“The future of our digital economy depends on the seamless integration of connectivity, power, and data centers,” Dr. Coker asserted, calling for greater collaboration between private and public stakeholders.
Challenges in Execution and Investment
Mr. Johannisson echoed Dr. Coker’s sentiments, applauding Nigeria’s digital progress but warning that execution remains a major hurdle.
He highlighted asset protection policies as a key factor in attracting foreign investments.
Johannisson revealed that every megawatt of data center capacity requires an investment of approximately €12-15 million, with 70 megawatts currently in the pipeline.
He also stressed the importance of decentralizing data centers beyond Lagos to ensure broader access and affordability, especially with the pressing need for edge infrastructure which requires data centre spread across the country.
“If inefficiencies drive up costs, digital services will remain inaccessible to large segments of the population,” he warned.
Looking ahead, Johannisson emphasized the need to maintain cost-effective infrastructure investments to achieve Nigeria’s broadband penetration target of 80% by 2030.
Security, Power, and Government Support
Meanwhile, Abayomi Adebanjo, Director of Legal (Global and Regional Business Affairs) at Equinix, focused on the intersection of digital infrastructure and national security.
He underscored the vulnerability of critical networks to cyber threats and called for stricter security measures at both physical and digital levels.
Adebanjo also identified major gaps in Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) framework, urging the government to take a more active role in enforcing protection programs.
He cited persistent issues such as fiber cable theft and legal obstacles in prosecuting offenders as deterrents to investment.
Recognising the significant power demands of data centers—comparable to large industrial operations such as the Dangote refinery—Adebanjo advocated for incentives such as designated special zones for data centers and priority access to electricity.
“Ireland is a prime example of how a stable regulatory and power supply environment can attract foreign direct investment,” Adebanjo noted, urging Nigerian policymakers to adopt similar strategies.
The Path Forward
The discussions at PIAFo underscored that Nigeria’s ambition to achieve a $1 trillion economy hinges on its ability to create a conducive environment for data centers and digital infrastructure growth.
In his opening remarks, Convener of PIAFo, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, stressed the need for concerted efforts among stakeholders to protect existing infrastructure and attract new investments to secure the digital future of the country.
Industry leaders agreed that increased broadband penetration, strategic investment, and supportive government policies are critical to bridging the digital divide and ensuring long-term sustainability.
With a growing commitment from both public and private sectors, Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey—one that will define its economic trajectory for decades to come.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
US tech giant, Amazon has disclosed that it blocked more than 1,800 North Koreans from applying for jobs, amid growing concerns that Pyongyang is deploying large numbers of IT workers overseas to earn and launder funds.
Amazon
In a LinkedIn post, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt, said North Korean nationals have been attempting to secure remote IT roles with companies around the world, particularly in the United States.
He noted that the company recorded nearly a one-third increase in such applications over the past year.
According to Schmidt, many of the applicants operate through so-called “laptop farms” — computers physically located in the US but remotely controlled from abroad.
He warned that the issue is not unique to Amazon and is likely occurring at scale across the tech industry.
He added that common red flags include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.
The issue has previously drawn the attention of US authorities. In July, a woman in Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that helped North Korean IT workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.
Officials said the scheme generated over $17 million in revenue for both the woman and North Korea.
Last year, South Korea’s intelligence agency also warned that North Korean operatives were using LinkedIn to pose as recruiters, approaching South Koreans working at defence companies in an attempt to steal sensitive technological information.
“North Korea is actively training cyber personnel and infiltrating key locations worldwide,” Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
He added that, given Amazon’s business model, the motivation behind such operations is largely economic, with a high likelihood of attempts to steal financial assets.
North Korea’s cyber warfare programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a cyber unit of about 6,000 personnel known as Bureau 121, according to a 2020 US military report.
In November, Washington announced sanctions against eight individuals accused of being state-sponsored hackers, alleging their illicit activities were carried out to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
The US Treasury has also accused North Korea-linked cybercriminals of stealing more than $3 billion over the past three years, primarily through cryptocurrency-related crimes.
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