{
  "id": 477287,
  "title": "85% of Nigerian workloads run on public clouds as government pushes localisation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/85-of-nigerian-workloads-run-on-public-clouds-as-government-pushes",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-10T15:03:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCabal",
    "slug": "techcabal",
    "url": "https://techcabal.com/2026/08/10/nigeria-pushes-local-cloud-as-85-of-workloads-use-public-clouds/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria is actively working to increase its cloud infrastructure within the country to reduce dependence on overseas systems and boost the digital economy. According to Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), over 85% of Nigerian workloads now run on public clouds. However, only 22% of Nigeria's 1,000 most-accessed websites are hosted locally, falling short of the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 34%. The National Sovereign Cloud Initiative aims to formalize this effort, with regulatory instruments signed with Galaxy Backbone Limited on August 5, 2026. This framework sets out policy, technical, and quality requirements for hosting more digital services in Nigeria. The move is part of Nigeria's Cloud First Policy, which encourages government agencies to shift away from costly standalone server rooms and data centres towards cloud-based services. While the policy has led to an increase in public cloud usage, it has also resulted in a lack of expansion in local cloud infrastructure, raising concerns about the economic value generated by Nigeria's digital economy being captured outside the country. Expanding the domestic cloud and data centre market could keep more of the country's $850 million annual capital flight within Nigeria, create high-value jobs, and enhance service resilience.",
  "summary": "The Nigerian government is pushing to increase the country's local cloud infrastructure as part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on overseas systems and keep more value from the digital economy within the nation. According to Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), more than 85% of Nigerian workloads currently run on public clouds. However, the country only hosts 22% of its 1,000 most-accessed websites locally, falling short of the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 34%. The government aims to address this through the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, which sets out policy, technical, and quality requirements for hosting more digital services within Nigeria. The initiative seeks to reduce exposure to foreign infrastructure, retain technology spending within the country, and enhance the resilience of critical services. By localising cloud infrastructure, Nigeria hopes to generate more economic activity, create high-value jobs, and mitigate risks associated with foreign-currency exposure and geopolitical risks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}