Africa must build local cloud to end digital dependence — NITDA DG

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has warned that Africa must urgently build domestic cloud infrastructure or remain digitally dependent, as control over data increasingly defines economic power and national security.

Speaking at the GITEX Africa 2026 in Morocco, Abdullahi said the continent can no longer afford to be a passive consumer of foreign technology, stressing the need to become an active builder of its own digital ecosystem.

He noted that Africa’s fragmented digital landscape weakens its ability to compete globally, leaving countries exposed to external disruptions while slowing progress toward an integrated digital economy. According to him, the modern world is now driven by fast data processing and intelligent systems, making digital integration essential for survival.

“In today’s reality, digital is no longer optional; it is a way of life. And the cloud is the oxygen that sustains that life. The question we must ask ourselves is: who controls that oxygen?” he queried.

The NITDA boss explained that cloud sovereignty requires local data storage and computing power, warning that reliance on foreign platforms exposes African nations to shifting external policies and limits their control over data value chains. He called for a coordinated regional approach to build shared infrastructure that supports local innovation and retains economic value within the continent.

“This is not just a technology gap, it is a sovereignty gap. We are generating data, but we are not in control of how and where that data is stored, processed, or monetised,” he said.

He expressed worries that despite accounting for up to 19 per cent of the global population, Africa holds only about 0.6 per cent of global data centre capacity, a gap he said undermines competitiveness and innovation.

Abdullahi also stressed that no single country can drive the transition alone, urging governments, private sector players and regional bodies to collaborate on a federated “cloud of clouds” system that allows data control while enabling cross-border scalability.

He noted that building indigenous cloud capacity would unlock jobs, boost investor confidence and strengthen Africa’s position in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things, which all depend on strong digital infrastructure.