‘Localisation of data will boost economy’

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry have called for the localisation of data for Nigeria to benefit from the data center economy, since Nigeria is yet to reap the expected benefits as a result of the country’s data being hosted abroad.

This call was made at the Nigerian ICT Impact CEO Forum, NIICF 2023, held in Lagos.

Chief Executive Officer, Digital Reality, Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, while presenting a paper on the theme, “National Challenges and the Imperative of Relevant and Timely Data”, stated that while Nigeria appears to be doing well in telephony, in the area of facilities that drive the digital economy of which data centre is one, Nigeria is way behind other countries.

According to him, though the country has the largest potential from data centres, the country is currently lagging behind the smallest countries in Africa in terms of economic benefits. He added that as of 2020, data centres contributed an estimated 5.6% to Nigeria’s GDP, while in Kenya, it contributed 7.7% to the country’s GDP the same year.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, who was represented by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, said broadband Internet access allows users to access the Internet and Internet-related services at significantly higher speeds than those available through “dial-up” services.