By Nigeria, in partnership with Europe Union (EU), has unveiled plans to roll out an €18 million Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platform, starting with the launch of a technical roundtable on the Nigeria Data Exchange Platform (NGDX).
The ministry of communications, innovation, and digital economy, with support from the European Union (EU) and Team Europe partners Estonia, Finland, Germany, and France, is celebrating the launch of a new digital initiative as a significant step toward developing secure, inclusive, and trusted digital systems for Nigerian citizens and businesses.
The Nigeria data exchange conference, facilitated by the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub, gathered senior government officials, legislators, regulators, industry leaders, and international partners.
The purpose of the conference was to discuss the vision, governance, and technical architecture of the Nigeria Data Exchange Platform (NGDX).
This platform is conceived as the third foundational element of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), complementing the existing National Identity System and National Payments Infrastructure.
The minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, Bosun Tijani, described the project as central to Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.
He said, “Nigeria already has two of the three critical stacks required for a successful DPI, the National Identity rail and the Payments rail.
“The next frontier is a trusted data exchange that enables government and business to share and use data securely, while providing citizens with better services under a framework that guarantees privacy, security and accountability.”
Tijani assured participants that the NGDX will fully comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, which enshrines the right to privacy and establishes the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
He added that the ministry remains committed to delivering a functional national data exchange by the end of 2025, aligning its implementation with president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
From the international partner side, the European Union announced its financial commitment to Nigeria’s DPI.
The head of cooperation at the European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, disclosed that the EU has committed €18 million to support the rollout of the platform, describing Nigeria as a critical partner for digital cooperation under the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy and International Digital Strategy.
“DPI is one priority area for cooperation of the EU Tech Business offer with a strong potential to drive growth and create secure, inclusive digital ecosystems,” De Luca said.
He further explained that DPI extends beyond technology, emphasising its potential to empower societies through secure digital identities, seamless payments, and trusted data governance frameworks.
“However, such frameworks require legal safeguards on data and privacy. DPI must respect inclusivity, equity, human-centricity, security, trust, and sustainability,” he stressed.
De Luca pointed to ongoing EU backed projects that highlight the depth of cooperation, including BRIDGE, the rollout of 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable across Nigeria, 3 MITT, a programme aimed at launching Nigerian youth into the ICT labour market, as well as continued support for the digital economy ecosystem and businesses.
He added, “This event is also a first step towards a fully-fledged EU support to the roll-out of DPI in Nigeria, an €18 million project that has just been approved for funding, while commending the collaboration with Nigeria’s ministry of communications, innovation and digital economy.”
As the Nigeria Data Exchange Platform (NGDX) is seen as the next stage of Nigeria’s digital transformation, the partnership with Team Europe is being presented as a crucial move toward creating a secure, inclusive, and trusted digital ecosystem that will align the country’s development with global best practices.
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