The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure as an essential enabler of productivity, innovation and economic growth.
During a visit to Galaxy Backbone Limited in Abuja, the Honourable Minister inspected its digital infrastructure and engaged with management on its operations, capabilities and expansion plans.
The visit reinforced an important point: digital infrastructure must be viewed not merely as a technology investment, but as economic infrastructure.
For Nigeria to improve the efficiency of government, support businesses, attract investment and compete globally, we need reliable connectivity, secure platforms, resilient data infrastructure and strong cybersecurity capabilities.
The Honourable Minister also highlighted the opportunity presented by the Buy Nigeria initiative to strengthen indigenous technology capacity, retain value within the domestic economy and create greater opportunities for Nigerian solutions across software, hardware and digital services.
Galaxy Backbone plays an important role in providing shared digital infrastructure and secure services across government. The Ministry will continue to support strategic institutions whose capabilities can contribute to Nigeria’s broader economic transformation.
Building Nigeria’s digital capacity is ultimately about building the capacity of the Nigerian economy.
The Minister stressed that supporting made-in-Nigeria goods and services, including digital infrastructure, is a national duty. He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is intentional about prioritising locally produced solutions, adding that patronising indigenous digital infrastructure often costs less while delivering better quality. He described the digital economy as a priority growth area where Nigeria has little excuse not to maximise available opportunities.
Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, emphasised that digital infrastructure requires sustained investment. He stated that government cannot effectively digitise without connectivity and secure infrastructure, businesses cannot scale without digital networks, and innovation, artificial intelligence and the digital economy cannot thrive without reliable systems.
Galaxy Backbone currently operates more than 5,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure spanning nearly 30 states, alongside Tier III and Tier IV data centres, cybersecurity capabilities, government email platforms and other shared digital services that support ministries, departments and agencies. These assets also underpin data sovereignty and national security interests by keeping critical public-sector data within Nigeria’s borders.
The Ministry of Finance has assured Galaxy Backbone of continued support to expand its fibre network, data-centre capacity and cybersecurity infrastructure, while encouraging stronger partnerships and a more sustainable operational model that delivers greater value across all tiers of government.
