FG Introduces Cloud-First Policy to Transform Government Digital Services

The Federal Government has unveiled a National Digital Cloud Policy that will strengthen the use of cloud technology across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as part of a broader plan to modernise public services and accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The policy, announced by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, establishes a strengthened Cloud First approach for the Federal Government, supported by coordinated procurement, shared infrastructure and whole-of-government demand aggregation.
Under the framework, government agencies will be encouraged to migrate priority digital services and workloads to approved cloud infrastructure, reducing duplication and improving the efficiency of public-sector technology spending.
The policy provides for shared government cloud services and a National Digital Marketplace through which cloud and digital infrastructure services can be procured in a coordinated and transparent manner.
The government said aggregating demand from multiple MDAs will allow it to negotiate better commercial terms while creating predictable demand for cloud providers and encouraging further investment in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
Digital sovereignty and data security are also central to the policy. The government will establish proportionate and risk-based requirements for the protection, residency and control of defined categories of government and regulated data.
A Sovereign Government Cloud Governance Committee, chaired by the minister responsible for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, will provide strategic oversight and coordinate implementation of the sovereignty framework.
The policy assigns specific responsibilities to key government institutions. NITDA will oversee regulation, standards and assurance, while Galaxy Backbone (GBB) will be responsible for operational delivery, shared infrastructure and aggregation. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) will ensure compliance with public procurement requirements.
Dr. Tijani said the policy seeks to strike a balance between encouraging investment and competition while ensuring that sensitive government digital assets are appropriately protected.
The government is expected to begin implementing the policy through a phased 24-month roadmap. The first six months will focus on activation, baseline assessments, implementation directives and institutional arrangements.
Between six and 12 months, government plans to operationalise the National Digital Marketplace, begin priority MDA migrations and onboard registered cloud providers.
The final 12 months of the roadmap will focus on scaling government migration, expanding cloud capacity, onboarding participating states, strengthening regional interconnection and increasing Nigeria’s digital service exports.
The Federal Government will also measure the programme through indicators including government cloud migration, cost savings, installed compliant hosting capacity, private investment, digital service export earnings and skills development.
The cloud policy complements the government’s wider digital transformation programmes, including Project BRIDGE and the 3MTT initiative, which are respectively focused on expanding broadband infrastructure and developing Nigeria’s technical workforce.
The Federal Government said the policy will help create an integrated digital economy in which connectivity, cloud infrastructure, government demand, investment and digital talent reinforce one another to improve public services and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy.