Experts Warn Nigeria’s Digital Ambitions at Risk Without Infrastructure Investment

 Molabake Fasogbon

Nigeria’s digital economy despite progress in payment identity systems and start-up activity, faces a structural crisis of depth that threatens to leave the country behind in the race for digital production and export value, Chief Executive Officer of Quomodo Systems Africa has warned. 

Asalu said the central challenge facing Nigeria is no longer about digital adoption, but how the country can build, secure, and export digital value at scale. 

He remarked that artificial intelligence and advanced digital services are rapidly reshaping global economy in ways that demand more than surface-level innovation.

“Nigeria’s fintech platforms process billions of transactions annually, and identity frameworks such as the National Identification Number and Bank Verification Number are now embedded in economic life.

 “Regulators have refined innovation frameworks, and the country’s start-up sector continues to attract foreign capital,” he said. 

These, notwithstanding, Asalu noted only represent the first layer of a mature digital economy, not its foundation.

What remains critically underdeveloped, he added, is the deeper layer where trust, security, and institutional resilience must reside, enterprise-grade platforms, data governance systems and cybersecurity frameworks capable of protecting national infrastructure.

“Cost of this gap is already measurable. Many enterprises continue to shun local digital platforms over trust and security concerns. Cyber incidents are eroding investor confidence. Thousands of young Nigerians complete basic digital training annually, yet employers report persistent shortages of professionals able to deliver complex, export-ready solutions,” he said. 

He warned that cybersecurity must be treated as economic infrastructure, without which enterprise-scale digital transformation cannot take root. 

He identified heavy dependence on foreign vendors for sovereignty-critical systems as both an economic drain and a vulnerability that Nigeria cannot afford to ignore.

“The global cybersecurity workforce deficit, however, presents Nigeria with a significant commercial opening. With millions of cybersecurity roles unfilled worldwide, countries that build credible local capacity can secure their own infrastructure while exporting expertise.

“Nigeria, given its market size and talent base, is positioned to serve as a regional hub for secure digital services, but only if deliberate investment in capability development begins immediately across government, the private sector, and training institutions,” he said.