The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oluwole, says digital connectivity and infrastructure are critical to improving Nigeria’s investment climate, business competitiveness and participation in international trade.

Ms Oluwole said this on Wednesday while delivering the keynote at the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum in Abuja organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and partners.

The theme of the two-day programme is “Unlocking Infrastructure Investment through Data Transparency and Partnerships.”

She said digital infrastructure was no longer limited to telecommunications, adding that fibre networks, data centres, cloud infrastructure, digital platforms, electronic payments and secure data systems were increasingly important to the movement of goods, services, capital and information.

According to her, the future of trade is digital, with Nigerian software developers, fashion entrepreneurs, fintech companies and manufacturers already using digital platforms to participate in international trade.

“The GSM Association’s (GSMA’s) Mobile Economy Africa 2026 report indicated that mobile technology and services contributed about $240 billion to Africa’s economy in 2025.

“This is representing 7.8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and supporting about 13 million jobs,” she said.

She also said that Nigeria’s telecommunications sector accounted for more than nine per cent of GDP in the first quarter of 2026.

She said that a World Bank and GSMA study found that extreme poverty among households declined by about seven per cent after two or more years of mobile broadband coverage.

The minister said global investment in data centres had expanded rapidly due to cloud computing, AI and growing demand for digital services.

She said the investment opportunity covered data centres, cloud services, fibre and broadband infrastructure, digital platforms, fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), digital logistics and digital intelligence services.

Ms Oluwole said that infrastructure should translate into economic opportunities.

She stated that there was need for businesses to access markets, make payments, comply with regulations, move data securely and provide services across borders.

She noted that Nigeria’s implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol would facilitate intra-African digital trade through predictable rules, regulatory cooperation, interoperability, digital skills and infrastructure.

She added that Nigeria was designated co-champion of the protocol and subsequently became the first state party to ratify it, while also taking steps to develop an implementation strategy.

She said Nigeria was implementing the African Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT) initiative as one of the first three pilot countries, alongside Kenya and Morocco.

Ms Oluwole said ADAPT would support interoperability of digital identity, cross-border data exchange and payment systems, making cross-border trade faster, safer and less costly.

She called on investors, operators, development partners and innovators to see Nigeria not only as a large consumer market but also as a platform for serving the wider African market.

Also speaking, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, said connectivity was foundational to productivity and inclusive economic growth.

Mr Inuwa said Nigeria recorded over 40 per cent growth in data usage within a year and more than a 10 percentage-point increase in broadband penetration.

He said connectivity alone was insufficient, stressing the need for investment in computing power and talent to process data and unlock AI opportunities, healthcare, education, agriculture and financial inclusion. 

(NAN)