The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has deepened efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy with a strategic partnership with Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB), aimed at providing subsidised sovereign cloud services to startups under its flagship iHatch programme.
The initiative, according to a statement issued by the Director, Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA, Hadiza Umar, represents a major step toward enhancing data sovereignty, digital inclusion, and the growth of indigenous innovation in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving technology ecosystem.
The partnership, facilitated through NITDA’s Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), will see participating startups onboarded onto the Galaxy Cloud Platform (GxCP), a robust sovereign cloud infrastructure designed to support local innovation while ensuring compliance with global standards in data security and reliability.
Umar explained that the GxCP is powered by Uptime-certified Tier III and Tier IV data centres, supported by a nationwide fibre optic backbone and strengthened by advanced cybersecurity architecture, positioning it as a critical enabler for startups seeking reliable and scalable digital infrastructure.
“This collaboration is a critical step in Nigeria’s digital evolution, focusing on data sovereignty, digital inclusion, and the growth of indigenous innovation,” she stated.
Providing further insight into the significance of the initiative, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the partnership aligns with the agency’s broader vision of building a resilient and globally competitive startup ecosystem.
According to him, access to affordable and secure cloud infrastructure remains one of the biggest challenges facing startups in Nigeria, and the partnership directly addresses this gap.
“The partnership reinforces NITDA’s commitment to providing startups with the digital infrastructure required to innovate, scale, and compete globally,” Umar quoted him as saying.
On his part, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of GBB, Ibrahim Adeyanju, described the initiative as a transformative intervention that would empower startups with enterprise-grade cloud capabilities at significantly reduced costs.
He noted that by enabling startups to host data locally, the initiative would not only reduce operational expenses but also strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty by limiting reliance on foreign cloud providers.
“This initiative empowers startups with secure, enterprise-grade cloud services at highly subsidised rates, enabling them to scale efficiently while maintaining data within Nigeria,” he said.
Umar further disclosed that the partnership adopts a structured, milestone-based support model designed to ensure sustainability and accountability. Under the framework, cloud credits will be released in phases aligned with the lifecycle of startups—namely Build, Validate, and Scale.
These credits, she explained, will remain valid for a period of 12 months, after which beneficiary startups will transition to standard subscription or pay-as-you-go billing models, thereby encouraging long-term sustainability and independence.
To ensure optimal utilisation of resources, the initiative also includes the deployment of a dedicated Startup Success Team by GBB, tasked with driving adoption, providing technical support, and ensuring efficient resource management through automated monitoring systems.
“Crucially, all post-credit billing will be conducted in Nigerian Naira, protecting startups from the adverse effects of foreign exchange volatility,” Umar added.
Also speaking on the partnership, the General Manager, Strategic Partnerships at GBB, Abdul Malik Suleiman, described the collaboration as a deliberate effort to bridge the long-standing gap between infrastructure availability and innovation growth in Nigeria.
Similarly, the National Coordinator of ONDI, Victoria Fabunmi, emphasised that integrating sovereign cloud infrastructure into the iHatch programme significantly enhances the capacity of startups to scale effectively while leveraging tools that meet global standards.
Umar noted that the iHatch programme has already recorded measurable impact, having trained over 160 startups across 37 innovation hubs nationwide, adding that the new partnership is expected to accelerate growth within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
She reaffirmed NITDA’s commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening digital infrastructure, and supporting startups as key drivers of economic growth and job creation.
NITDA, Galaxy Backbone partner to deliver subsidised sovereign cloud for startups
