Barbara Bako, Abuja.
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has intensified its investment drive in digital infrastructure and technology innovation, saying the move is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global digital and artificial intelligence (AI) economy while creating long-term value for the country.
The Authority said technology has become a key enabler of economic growth, with sectors such as financial services, healthcare, education, logistics and e-commerce increasingly relying on strong digital infrastructure to deliver services and expand opportunities.
NSIA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the institution’s long-term investment strategy now places greater emphasis on digital infrastructure, innovation financing and technology-focused capital deployment to support Nigeria’s economic transformation.
According to him, one of the flagship projects driving this vision is the KASI Hyperscale Data Centre, an indigenous digital infrastructure platform designed to provide cloud computing, data storage, artificial intelligence processing, virtualisation, disaster recovery and other enterprise digital services.
He explained that the data centre is intended to address Nigeria’s growing dependence on offshore cloud and data hosting services, which currently require significant foreign exchange spending by banks, government agencies and technology companies.
NSIA said the KASI project is being developed as a multi-facility campus with an expected capacity of about 100 megawatts when completed, positioning it among Africa’s largest AI-ready hyperscale data centre developments.
The Authority noted that the investment will provide local infrastructure capable of supporting global cloud providers and large-scale AI workloads.
The Authority added that stronger digital infrastructure would improve the reliability of digital payments, banking services, healthcare delivery, online education platforms and connectivity for businesses, while also lowering the cost of digital innovation for startups and small businesses.
Beyond infrastructure, NSIA said it is investing in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem through the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI), an initiative that identifies promising startups and provides mentorship, capacity building and institutional support to help entrepreneurs scale technology-driven solutions.
The Authority noted that the programme is focused on strengthening local innovation by supporting businesses developing solutions in areas such as financial inclusion, agriculture, healthcare, education, logistics and climate resilience.
NSIA also disclosed that it is deploying patient capital through its Future Generations Fund, which invests in venture capital and private equity managers backing high-growth technology companies across Africa.
It said the approach is designed to deepen private capital markets and provide financing for businesses at different stages of growth.
In addition, the Authority highlighted its partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which established a 50 million-dollar Impact Innovation Fund to support technology-enabled businesses tackling critical social and economic challenges.
Umar-Sadiq said these investments reflect NSIA’s commitment to building the infrastructure, financing pathways and innovation ecosystem needed for Nigerian businesses to compete globally.
He added that the Authority’s goal is to ensure Nigeria is well positioned to develop, host and deploy AI capabilities locally, rather than remain a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
According to NSIA, its technology investment strategy is expected to attract investment, reduce foreign exchange pressure through local digital infrastructure, create high-value jobs and support the growth of a resilient digital economy capable of driving sustainable national development.
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