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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The Federal Government has announced its goal to achieve 70% digitalization of government services by 2025, working in collaboration with the private sector. This ambitious target was revealed by the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone (GBB), Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, at the one-day ‘1Government Cloud Digitalisation’ Retreat for federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) recently.

Prof. Adeyanju outlined the vision of Galaxy Backbone to enhance service delivery to citizens through the development of a single ‘Government Service Portal.’ This portal aims to provide unified access to services across all MDAs. Key to this initiative is the introduction of the 1Government Cloud, a blend of infrastructure and software designed to support the digitalization efforts.“This vision can only be achieved through the speedy digitalization of the MDAs. For those of you who know us, you will agree with me that the newest entry to our cloud solutions is software as a service,” said Prof. Adeyanju.

He emphasized that the 1Government Cloud Software as a Service framework is essential for accelerating the digitalization process within the federal MDAs. The agency aims to provide MDAs with the necessary software and secure data storage solutions.

In his address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Faruk Yabo, highlighted the importance of data sovereignty.

He stressed the need for Nigeria to govern its data independently to ensure the security and integrity of sensitive national information. “Data sovereignty rules must be wholly governed by Nigeria, ensuring that our sensitive national data is not subject to the regulations or access rights of other governments or foreign technology providers,” said Yabo.

Yabo also underscored the economic benefits of digitization, advocating for partnerships with local Nigerian companies.

He noted that such collaborations would not only enhance the digital capabilities of the civil service but also stimulate national economic growth and innovation.

“By leveraging indigenous talents and solutions, the civil service would not only enhance its digital capabilities but also foster national economic growth and innovation,” Yabo stated.

He further remarked on the necessity of secure and compliant software solutions to handle the sensitive information managed by the civil service.

The retreat underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to advancing digital transformation and ensuring that Nigeria’s digital infrastructure is robust, secure, and sovereign.

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