Stakeholders at the Digital Nigeria Innovation Conference and Exhibition (DNICE 2025) in Abuja have applauded the Federal Government for its renewed momentum towards achieving Nigeria’s digital transformation, citing policy direction and stronger support for innovation, skills development, and nationwide connectivity.
The event, themed “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion and Global Competitiveness,” highlighted the creation of a more enabling environment for innovation, local talent development, and cross-sector digital adoption.
Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, had said the federal government was not only making efforts to digitise the economy, but also to ensure that the country controls its cloud.
Founder/Chief Exclusive Officer Unitellas Edge Cloud, Mr. Smith Osemeke, who spoke as a panelist during a session at the event, reaffirmed the need for cloud sovereignty, stressing that it would also be central to sustaining trust in emerging digital services, particularly in sensitive sectors such as fintech, agriculture and artificial intelligence.
He added that Nigeria’s next phase of digital growth would depend heavily on how quickly the country deepens nationwide connectivity and builds systems that allow technology to solve real local problems.
According to him, stronger local governance of data would further stimulate homegrown innovation and reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure.
Osemeke maintained that while global cloud providers still command scale, sovereign local cloud platforms are increasingly competing through better regulatory alignment, cost efficiency and customised services tailored to Nigeria’s digital landscape.
He said, “The next major disruption will be the rise of hyperlocal AI ecosystems — intelligent systems trained on local languages, behaviours, and socio-economic data. As connectivity deepens, especially in rural and underserved areas, real-time services in agriculture, education, and healthcare will become more accessible. Think AI-powered crop advisory tools, mobile diagnostics, and micro-finance scoring systems. Unitella’s Edge Cloud plays a pivotal role here by providing low-latency, high-resilience infrastructure close to users, enabling these innovations to function effectively even in bandwidth-constrained environments.
“Cloud sovereignty is fundamentally about control — over data, infrastructure, and digital policy. Independence is a strategic benefit, but the core issue is who governs access, storage, and monetisation of data. Sovereignty ensures national interests and privacy standards are protected. Unitellas Edge Cloud embodies this principle by enabling organisations to retain full ownership of their data, comply with local laws, and build resilient digital ecosystems free from foreign dependency.”
A major point of emphasis at the conference was the need to strengthen digital infrastructure, expand broadband access, and scale digital literacy nationwide, which are considered critical foundations for boosting productivity and empowering young people for emerging roles in the digital economy.
MTN Nigeria, as a participant in DNICE 2025, used the platform to reaffirm its dedication to Nigeria’s digital future, particularly in support of NITDA’s ambitious target of achieving 70 percent digital literacy by 2027. MTN’s focus at the conference revolved around leveraging its advanced network and platform ecosystem to drive digital and financial inclusion, foster talent development, and ensure the continuous expansion and reliability of its infrastructure. This focus is central to the company’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which seeks to create shared value for Nigerians by making the digital economy accessible to all.
In line with the 70 percent digital literacy goal, MTN highlighted its recent efforts to bridge the skills gap through the MTN Skills Academy, a component of the Digital Skills for Digital Jobs (DSDJ) initiative.
