By Juliet Umeh

To fully transition into a digital economy, Nigeria must establish a minimum of 72 data centres, two in each state capital, technology experts have said.

The call was made during the 25th edition of the 50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy, hosted by Knowhow Media, publishers of ITEdgeNews.

At the colloquium themed “Nigeria: State of the Digital Economy for 2025”, Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO of Digital Reality, led calls for urgent infrastructure expansion to bridge the country’s growing digital divide.

Nnamani stated: “Despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest ICT market, the country still lacks the digital backbone necessary to deliver inclusive connectivity and services. “It is still cheaper to transmit data between Nigeria and London than between Lagos and Abuja. That’s unacceptable,” he said, pointing to the urgent need for improved transmission networks and regional infrastructure.

He acknowledged the arrival of submarine cables like Google’s Equiano and the upcoming 2Africa cable as significant progress but insisted they must be matched with widespread metro and inter-city connectivity to ensure efficient data flow across Nigeria.

“Lagos holds over 90% of the country’s data infrastructure, yet it represents just 10 percent of our population. We need to decentralize. Nigeria requires at least 72 edge data centres to effectively support a digital economy,” Nnamani asserted.

However, infrastructure alone isn’t enough, he said. Emphasizing the need for a skilled workforce, Nnamani urged investment in short-term digital training programs. “You don’t need a four-year degree to make an impact. We need to empower more young Nigerians with digital skills.”

He cited the example of a mentee who, after just a few months of coding training, now works remotely from Canada. But such success stories also underscore Nigeria’s worsening brain drain.

“Entire IT departments in Nigerian banks are relocating abroad. While remittances help, we must find ways to build and retain talent locally,” he warned.

Nnamani identified two strategic imperatives for Nigeria’s digital future: Security: To ensure trust and safety in the digital space and human capital development: To drive innovation and growth across the digital economy.

Also, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State echoed the same sentiment while explaining why he was also nominated as one of the individuals shaping the country’s tech ecosystem.

The event also celebrated digital trailblazers shaping Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. Honorees included: Gov. Alia of Benue State, Prof. Obadare Peter Adewale, Founder, Digital Encode, Mr. Evelyn Lewis, CEO, SBTS Nigeria, Mr. Ayowande Adalemo, Founder, Wave5Wireless.

Others include: Engr. Olawole Owoeye, MD, Cedarview Communications, Happiness Obioha, CEO, Tizel Cybersecurity, Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO, Digital Reality, among others.

All the key stakeholders at the meeting reinforced the urgent need for infrastructure decentralization, investment in human capital, and strategic planning to position Nigeria as a truly digital economy by 2025.