NITDA Partners Galaxy Backbone to Deliver Subsidised Cloud Services for Startups
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), has entered into a strategic partnership with Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) to provide subsidised sovereign cloud services to startups participating in the iHatch programme.
The collaboration is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem by promoting data sovereignty, enhancing digital inclusion, and accelerating the growth of indigenous innovation. Under the agreement, startups in the programme will be onboarding onto the Galaxy Cloud Platform (GxCP), a sovereign cloud infrastructure backed by Uptime-certified Tier III and Tier IV data centres, a nationwide fibre network, and advanced cybersecurity systems.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the initiative underscores the agency’s commitment to building a resilient and globally competitive startup ecosystem by expanding access to critical digital infrastructure.
On his part, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of GBB, Ibrahim Adeyanju, stated that the partnership will enable startups to leverage secure, enterprise-grade cloud services at subsidised rates, while hosting data locally to reinforce Nigeria’s digital sovereignty.
Adeyanju explained that the initiative will adopt a tiered, milestone-based model, with cloud credits released across the “Build, Validate, and Scale” phases of a startup’s development. The credits will remain valid for 12 months, after which beneficiaries will transition to standard or pay-as-you-go billing.
To support implementation, GBB has established a dedicated Startup Success Team to drive adoption, alongside automated usage monitoring systems designed to optimise resource utilisation. In addition, all post-credit billing will be conducted in Nigerian naira to shield startups from foreign exchange volatility.
General Manager of Strategic Partnerships at GBB, Abdul Malik Suleiman, described the initiative as a strategic move to bridge the gap between infrastructure and innovation.
Also speaking, National Coordinator of ONDI, Victoria Fabunmi, noted that integrating GBB’s sovereign cloud services into the iHatch programme would significantly enhance startups’ capacity to scale and compete globally.
The iHatch programme has so far trained over 160 startups across 37 hub partners, with the new partnership expected to further accelerate innovation and growth within Nigeria’s digital economy.
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