Nigeria Needs Stronger Digital Infrastructure to Unlock Data Economy — Galaxy Backbone
Galaxy Backbone says Nigeria needs stronger digital policies, infrastructure investment and collaboration to transform growing data resources into economic opportunities.
By Kikelomo D.
Nigeria’s ambition to build a data-driven economy will require significantly greater investment in digital infrastructure, stronger policies and closer collaboration between government, businesses and technology stakeholders, Galaxy Backbone has said.
The digital infrastructure company said the country’s ability to benefit from the rapidly expanding data economy will depend not simply on generating more information but on having the systems, skills and policies required to securely process and turn data into economic value.
Galaxy Backbone Managing Director, Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, identified three priorities for Nigeria’s digital transformation: policy, investment and collaboration.
He said the country needs regulatory frameworks that encourage responsible data sharing while protecting privacy, cybersecurity and public trust.
The company also stressed the importance of interoperability, allowing digital systems operated by different government institutions to communicate securely instead of functioning as isolated platforms.
According to Galaxy Backbone, investment is equally important, particularly in high-speed broadband, secure data centres, sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital platforms.
The company argued that digital infrastructure should ultimately make it easier for citizens and businesses to access public services and participate in the digital economy.
However, infrastructure alone will not be enough.
Galaxy Backbone said Nigeria must also invest in human capital so that workers have the skills required to use emerging technologies and convert digital infrastructure into productive economic activity.
The call comes as businesses across Nigeria increasingly depend on digital platforms for payments, customer engagement, logistics, financial services and data management.
For government, effective use of data could improve public-service delivery, decision-making and revenue administration while reducing duplication across institutions.
The company therefore advocated a whole-of-government and whole-of-ecosystem approach involving public institutions, private companies, universities, development partners and technology organisations.
The broader challenge, it said, is to move Nigeria from simply generating large volumes of data to using that information to produce better services, stronger businesses and more inclusive economic opportunities.
As digitalisation accelerates, the quality of Nigeria’s underlying infrastructure and data governance systems could increasingly determine how effectively businesses compete in a technology-driven economy.
