Stakeholders Push for Localisation of Data to Boost Economy 

Emma Okonji

Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, have called for the localisation of data to enable Nigeria benefit from the data centric economy.

The stakeholders who spoke at the 2023 Impact ICT Forum and Award, said despite playing host to many data centers, Nigeria had never reaped the expected benefits because a lot of the country’s data are still being hosted abroad.

This is even as they noted that the strong growth of Africa’s digital economy would drive more demands for data centers in the continent. 

Presenting a paper on the theme of the conference, “National Challenges and the Imperative of Relevant and Timely Data,” the Chief Executive Officer of Digital Reality, Ikechukwu Nnamani, examined the Data Centers Services in Nigeria as a case study.

He observed that while Nigeria appears to be doing well in telephony, in the area of facilities that drive the digital economy, of which data center is one, Nigeria is way behind other countries. 

In his Lead paper at the forum, the Group Managing Director of VDT Communications, Mr. Abiodun Omoniyi, examined the importance of big data for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Nigeria. According to him, in today’s digital landscape, Big Data plays a pivotal role in shaping the operations of ISPs.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida, presented the keynote at the forum with a focus on the telecom regulator’s efforts to deepen broadband penetration in the country.