In a renewed push to strengthen Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the Federal Government has launched a technical roundtable on the Nigeria Data Exchange Platform (NGDX).
The initiative, convened by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy with support from the European Union (EU) and Team Europe partners from Estonia, Finland, Germany, and France, marks a major milestone in advancing secure, inclusive, and trusted digital systems for citizens and businesses.
Facilitated by the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, the Nigeria Data Exchange Conference brought together senior government officials, legislators, regulators, industry leaders, and international partners to deliberate on the vision, governance, and technical architecture of the NGDX, envisioned as the third foundational pillar of Nigeria’s DPI, alongside the National Identity System and National Payments Infrastructure.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, described the NGDX as central to Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.
“Nigeria already has two of the three critical stacks required for a successful DPI: the National Identity rail and the Payments rail. The next frontier is a trusted Data Exchange that enables government and business to share and use data securely while delivering better services to citizens under a framework that guarantees privacy, security, and accountability,” Tijani said.
He stressed that the platform would comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, which enshrines the right to privacy and establishes the National Data Protection Commission. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to delivering a functional national data exchange by the end of 2025, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, announced that the EU has committed €18 million to support Nigeria’s DPI, underscoring the country’s role as a key partner in digital cooperation under the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy and International Digital Strategy.
“DPI is a priority area for cooperation under the EU Tech Business Offer, with strong potential to drive growth and create secure, inclusive digital ecosystems,” De Luca said, stressing that digital transformation must be anchored on inclusivity, equity, human-centricity, security, trust, and sustainability.
He highlighted ongoing EU-backed projects supporting Nigeria’s digital transition, including BRIDGE (the rollout of 90,000km of fibre-optic cable nationwide), 3MITT (a programme to equip Nigerian youth for ICT jobs), and other initiatives to strengthen the country’s digital economy ecosystem.
“This event is a first step towards a fully-fledged EU support for the rollout of DPI in Nigeria, an €18 million project that has just been approved for funding,” he added.
