The 2026 edition of GITEX Nigeria has commenced in Abuja, with the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, calling on Nigeria to prioritise artificial intelligence (AI) sovereignty to protect the country’s economy, citizens and national security.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Inuwa said AI sovereignty should extend beyond geopolitics to include Nigeria’s ability to exercise digital self-determination across the entire technology stack.
He stressed that building national AI capacity requires more than developing AI systems, noting that connectivity, data centres and cloud infrastructure are also critical components.
The NITDA Director General pointed to the recent signing of regulatory instruments on cloud and data sovereignty as important steps towards encouraging data centre investment and strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
He also called for greater Nigerian ownership of AI technologies, algorithms and data, arguing that strong data sovereignty and effective governance are necessary to develop AI models capable of addressing the country’s specific needs.
Inuwa further highlighted the importance of operational sovereignty, particularly regarding who controls AI systems deployed in critical sectors such as finance, healthcare and education, and whether those systems operate under Nigerian laws.
He warned that a lack of control over critical AI systems could expose the country to manipulation and external influence.
According to him, NITDA’s efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy are focused on strengthening digital, data, cloud and AI sovereignty.
He said GITEX Nigeria 2026 provides an opportunity for Nigeria and the wider African continent to examine their progress in developing indigenous AI capacity and determine how the region can strengthen its technological sovereignty.
