Director-General of The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, while speaking on the panel at the GITEX Africa Summit, “Africa’s Cloud Moment: Build Regional or Stay Fragmented,” advocated shifting from government-funded infrastructure to collaborative approaches.
He explained that Nigeria’s model positions the state as a policy enabler—offering regulations and incentives—while private firms spearhead investments and innovations in cloud and data systems. Nigeria highlighted its public-private digital infrastructure model at GITEX Africa in Marrakech, promoting a government-facilitated, private-sector-driven strategy to boost cloud growth and bolster the continent’s digital economy.
Abdullahi argued the private sector excels at spotting market needs and challenges, urging African governments to convene and support industry alliances, similar to European data center collaborations. He called for a unified “cloud of clouds” infrastructure to drive regional digital transformation.
He warned Africa against past mistakes of supplying resources, labor, and data without owning the value-creating tech, emphasizing data sovereignty and local cloud control to secure economic gains from its digital boom.
GITEX Africa in Marrakech unites policymakers, tech companies, investors, and startups to tackle cloud, AI, and digital trade priorities.
