The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has called for massive investment in Africa’s digital public infrastructure, declaring that the continent’s economic destiny depends on its “compute capacity.”
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has called for massive investment in Africa’s digital public infrastructure, declaring that the continent’s economic destiny depends on its “compute capacity.”
He made this known at the 2nd Sustainability Week Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, where he emphasised that building indigenous digital infrastructure is critical to achieving sustainable growth and economic transformation.
“A forceful investment in local digital public infrastructure is the critical step to unlock sustainable transformation and finally drive meaningful economic growth across the continent,” he said.
Inuwa explained that Africa must develop its own computing infrastructure to achieve digital independence and competitiveness, rather than relying on external data processing.
“In the 21st century, compute power is a primary factor of production, and we cannot rely on exporting our raw data to other regions to process it and build products for us,” he averred.
He further cited Nigeria’s strides in digital identity and data exchange as a model for Africa, while reaffirming the country’s target of 95% digital literacy by 2030.
“Africa’s advantage lies in our ability to leap, to build collaboratively, and to design technology for inclusion. If we build the digital rails together, our youth will drive Africa straight into the heart of the global digital economy,” he said.