Director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has called for the adoption and implementation of cloud computing in enhancing existing business models and deploying new innovative procedures in the country.
He made this call in his keynote address at a webinar organised by Galaxy Backbone, in collaboration with Zadara, a cloud computing company base in California, United States of America.
He stated that, according to data from Gartner, in 2020, the combined end-user spending on cloud services was about $270 billion and is expected to increase by 23.1 percent this year to reach $332.3 billion and $397.5 billion by next year, 2022. “With respect to this, it is therefore necessary for the adoption and implementation of cloud computing in enhancing existing business models and deploying new innovative procedures.”
He commended Galaxy Backbone for providing “reliable, efficient, and robust cloud services to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the private sector in Nigeria. This effort, he said, will accelerate the nation’s journey to the digital economy and create opportunities for growth.
He also applauded the partnership between Galaxy Backbone and Zadara which was borne out of the implementation of the National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy by NITDA.
“At the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), we will align the implementation of the Nigeria Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP) and the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT to support this partnership,” he said.
The Policy will encourage a cloud-first strategy in government with goals which are set to ensure a significant increase in the adoption of Cloud Computing among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by 2024.
