Nigeria urges African cooperation to build AI capacity

National Information Technology Development Agency Director-General Kashifu Abdullahi said Nigeria is pushing for deeper collaboration among African countries to strengthen the continent’s role in artificial intelligence infrastructure, warning that Africa risks remaining dependent on foreign technology platforms if it fails to build its own cloud and compute capacity.

Speaking during an interview at GITEX Africa in Marrakech, Morocco, Abdullahi said discussions at this year’s event focused heavily on how African countries can work together to develop shared digital infrastructure and improve digital sovereignty.

“Africa has one of the youngest populations in the world and one of the fastest-growing digital economy markets, yet our share of global compute power in data centres is less than 0.6 per cent,” he said.

According to him, Africa accounts for between 15 and 19 per cent of the world’s population but contributes only a fraction of global computing capacity, which he described as critical for the future of the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

Abdullahi said Africa must avoid repeating what he described as missed opportunities during previous industrial revolutions, where the continent supplied raw materials, minerals and talent without building strong industrial or technology systems of its own.

“This revolution is about AI and cloudification,” he said. “We generate the data, but who stores the data, who refines it and who creates intelligence from it? We are not there yet.”

He said Nigeria and other African countries are now exploring ways to build what he described as a “cloud of clouds” across the continent by connecting existing infrastructure rather than creating a single centralised system.

The NITDA chief referenced Europe’s GAIA-X initiative as a possible model for African cooperation, adding that Nigeria’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative was already laying the groundwork for such a framework locally.

Abdullahi declined to provide details on reported discussions involving global technology companies and undersea cable investments in Nigeria, saying the government’s focus was broader than any single partnership.

“Our goal is national interest, not partnership with one company,” he said, adding that Nigeria had already established a technical working group involving hyperscalers and local data centre operators to develop a framework for cloud infrastructure collaboration.

He also said preparations for this year’s edition of GITEX Nigeria were at an advanced stage, with organisers aiming to surpass last year’s turnout of more than 13,000 participants.

According to him, the government wants stronger participation from African countries, particularly within West Africa, to deepen regional cooperation across the technology ecosystem.

Abdullahi said infrastructure constraints remained a challenge after attendance exceeded venue capacity during the maiden edition, adding that organisers could target as many as 25,000 participants if larger facilities were available.

On startup participation, he said NITDA was shifting its strategy towards supporting startups with established products and stronger commercial potential rather than focusing purely on participant numbers.

The NITDA chief also defended Nigeria’s sovereign cloud push against concerns over state control, saying the government’s role was to create an enabling environment while the private sector builds and operates infrastructure.

He cited the Federal Government’s new public-private partnership framework as part of efforts to accelerate digital infrastructure projects without relying solely on public budgets.

Addressing cybersecurity concerns, Abdullahi said recent incidents had shown how interconnected digital systems have become, warning that attacks on one organisation could create vulnerabilities across multiple sectors.

“In a recent incident, attackers exploited a bank and gained access through connected systems, including platforms like Remita,” he said.

He urged organisations to improve intelligence-sharing on cyber threats instead of concealing incidents for reputational reasons, warning that the rise of AI was making cyber risks more complex and dangerous.