• Nigeria to launch Data Exchange Platform by end of 2025

• NGDX to centralize secure data sharing across government, businesses

• Part of digital drive aiming ICT to reach 22% of GDP by 2027
  

The Nigerian government is preparing to launch the Nigerian Data Exchange Platform (NGDX), a digital infrastructure designed to centralize and secure data sharing between government agencies and businesses. The platform is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

The initiative was discussed on Monday, August 25, at a workshop in Abuja that brought together stakeholders and international partners, including the European Union, Finland, and Estonia. In a post on X, Minister of Digital Economy Bosun Tijani explained that the NGDX will facilitate secure data sharing, stimulate innovation and inclusive growth, and offer citizens faster, more reliable services while ensuring privacy and data security.

The platform is part of the Nigerian government's digital transformation efforts to simplify administrative procedures, reduce inefficiencies, and boost innovation in sectors like health, agriculture, fintech, and education. Once operational, it will, for example, prevent citizens from having to repeatedly enter the same personal information for different government services.

"We've seen how interoperability transformed financial services through NIBSS. NGDX will extend that power across our entire economy," Tijani said, referring to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System. Nigerian authorities are aiming for information and communication technologies (ICT) to contribute 22% to the country's GDP by 2027.

Isaac K. Kassouwi