The move is seen by industry players as a significant move towards enhancing the digital landscape of Nigeria.

The company launched its local cloud service in Lagos with the goal of addressing essential needs such as data localisation.

This initiative ensures Nigeria’s data sovereignty, compliance with data protection regulations, the protection of sensitive data, and enhances security and compliance for businesses operating within the country.

One of the standout features of Huawei’s cloud services is the ultra-low latency of 15 milliseconds, a significant improvement from the previous 80+ milliseconds.

This reduction in network latency is expected to substantially enhance customer service experiences, allowing businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos State in his goodwill message at the event, said the commitment of Huawei to building local cloud services in Lagos, Nigeria, is beneficial for the country’s journey towards technological transformation.

“As we gather here to explore the boundless potential of technology and digital innovation, we must truly appreciate where we are”, Dr Hamzat said.

Speaking further on the theme of the event, ‘Leap Now with a Better Cloud’, Hamzat noted that it reflected the aspirations of a country like Nigeria and, of course, Lagos, with its resilient people and growing technological industry.

“The country is at a point where digital transformation is no longer optional; it is essential for sustainable development. Technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and big data are key to networking opportunities in critical sectors like agriculture, healthcare, education, banking, and commerce. So we must thank Huawei for introducing its cloud solution in the country.

“Huawei cloud services in Nigeria are significant because of sovereignty issues. Imagine if other countries, in their parliaments, had the right to make laws that allowed them to examine all data within their sovereignty. What would you do? But remember, the data residing there can cause various issues.” Therefore, having a local cloud is crucial. It’s about our sovereignty and our ability to better control our destiny.”

Also speaking, Mr. Emmanuel Edet, the acting director of Regulations and Compliance at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said that the launch of Huawei Cloud services marks another milestone in the technological history of the country, Nigeria, with the hosting of this local cloud.

Representing Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director general of NITDA, Edet stated that cloud computing is the latest example of creative destruction, creating wealth for those who exploit it and leading to the demise of those who do not, as it is clear that data increasingly shapes business and most activities worldwide.

“However, as we embrace this technology, we must have conversations around aligning our digital strategies with local interests and building a robust infrastructure that reflects Nigeria’s unique needs and aspirations. As we continue to deliberate on solutions and chart new paths, let us also recognise the role of collaboration. Together, we can craft policies, invest in local capabilities, and foster partnerships that will ensure Nigeria’s leadership in the cloud ecosystem, not just regionally but globally.

Chris Lu, the chief executive officer of Huawei Nigeria, highlighted the significance of Huawei’s investment in building a local cloud infrastructure in Nigeria.

He identified three key aspects that underpin the importance of this development: performance, trust, and commitment.

“For me, having a local cloud means less than 15 milliseconds of latency, which outperforms cloud services from other markets, enhancing efficiency and user experience. Hosting data locally in Lagos boosts confidence among customers, government, and regulators, ensuring data sovereignty and security. With a 25-year presence in Nigeria and plans to continue for another 25 years, Huawei’s commitment to developing a robust local ecosystem with partners highlights its dedication to long-term growth and innovation in the country’s digital landscape.”

Owing to the immense potentials of Artificial Intelligence in revolutionising technology and innovation, the Nigerian Government through National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has completed the first draft of the National Policy on Artificial Intelligence which would soon be ready for transmission to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The Artificial Intelligence policy draft copy which was co-created by a team from NITDA and 63 industry experts drawn from 351 volunteers’ applications received from Nigeria and abroad after the expression of interest was published in October 2022.

Kashifu Inuwa, The NITDA’s Director General, during the final virtual meeting of the volunteer group commended the group for the “exceptional work in developing the Policy for Nigeria.

He said NITDA initiated the process of co-creating the Policy because the Agency strongly believes that there are things it can do as the government’s establishment which the ecosystem cannot do, and there are things the ecosystem can do which government cannot do, “but together we can achieve greater things.”

While stressing the potential of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionise the world, transform industries, and save lives by curing terminal diseases and reversing genetic disorders, Inuwa maintained that it also poses a significant risk such as bias, privacy violation and job displacement hence the imperative to have a policy in place to guide the development and deployment of AI in Nigeria.

He said an implementation strategic plan would be drafted to ensure that the policy achieve the purpose of which it is formulated, adding that the Agency would socialise with its various stakeholders and thereafter send it to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy for onward passage to FEC for approval.

“The NITDA Secretariat will now take over and continue working on the document’s design to get it ready for publication,” he stated.

He observed that what the volunteers had achieved with the policy is commendable and it is a result-oriented approach to engage them because most of the time that consultants are engaged to draft policies, it always end up as haphazard because they lack the technical know-how of the subject matter but the procurement processes always give them edge over the industry experts.

Describing the draft as robust, the NITDA boss outlined seven major areas cover by the policy to include Education and Research; Finance; Health; Media and Telecommunications; Labour and Productivity; General and Special Issues (such as building safe and responsible AI, ensuring Nigerian culture and values are digitally visible); and Security.

While congratulating the volunteers for “a job well done” by ensuring that the national assignment comes to fruition, he said the policy would position the nation to create and derive values from it and avoid the pitfalls and perils that could be associated with it.

Inuwa assured them that letter of commendation would be sent to them as no amount of money could assuage the commitment they put into drafting the policy.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Mr. Emmanuel Edet, the head of NITDA Legal Unit, noted that NITDA adopted the model of co-creation in developing the policy because it would put “us in the right direction and create a policy that is effective and functional in promoting the digital economy sector.”

He expressed the appreciation of the Agency to the volunteer experts and requested for their response when they are call upon again.