Nigeria Policy Report

Nigeria's Digital Infrastructure Development
Nigeria, as the largest economy in Africa, has been focused on modernizing its digital infrastructure in 2018 and 2019, similar to Ethiopia and other economies in the region. In 2019, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy published the policy framework National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030).[1]

Policy Framework and Strategic Focus
The framework shows great similarities with Ethiopia’s approach to digital development. The focus of the policy framework is the development of regulations, education and training in digital skills and literacy, and the construction of software and hardware infrastructure for the national economy. Unlike Ethiopia, Nigeria’s approach to a regulatory framework for digital development demonstrates greater independence from foreign countries. This is particularly evident through Nigeria’s comprehensive cybersecurity policies, which date back to 2014.[2]

Bilateral Relationships and Chinese Involvement
Apart from policy formulation, Nigeria maintains close bilateral relationships with Chinese entities in digital development. Notable projects include Huawei’s ICT Academy,[3] a program for training and educating Nigerian students within Chinese companies and universities, and the NICTIB II project, a collaboration between Nigeria and numerous Chinese entities for digital infrastructure projects financed by the Chinese Export-Import Bank. The NICTIB (National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone) project is a long-standing policy initiative for digital development in cooperation with China, dating back to 2006.[4]

Investment Structure and Implementation
The structure of Nigeria’s investments in digital infrastructure shows slight differences compared to Ethiopia’s dataset. Areas of implementation and operation of software and hardware infrastructure and policy formulation exhibit greater independence from Chinese entities. However, Chinese entities remain necessary partners to realize the vast amount of digital infrastructure projects during the measurement period of 2018 and 2019.