Agency to force ICT firms to host government data locally

folarin okunola

January 18, 2016 11:26 AM

That this information was contained in an invitation to stakeholders to attend the First Annual Summit on Data Hosting in Nigeria.

NITDA HQ

According to various media reports, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC), has indicated its commitment to ensure compulsory hosting of government data in the country.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports that this information was contained in an invitation to stakeholders to attend the First Annual Summit on Data Hosting in Nigeria.

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Mr. Inye Kemabonta, national coordinator of the ONC, in a letter sent to expected attendees for the summit, stated that the purpose of the summit is to specifically ensure compliance with Section 14.1.2 of the guidelines, which mandates data and information management firms to host government data locally.

"A breach of the Guidelines is a crime under sections 17 (4) and 18 of the NITDA Act of 2007," said Kemabonta.

The ONC is a strategic arm of NITDA set up to help develop a truly indigenous ICT industry to aid ealth creation in the local economy through the implementation of preset guidelines.

folarin okunola