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Emma Okonji

Worried about the high rate at which Nigerians patronise foreign domain names in the digital space, coupled with the high volume of data hosting outside the shores of Nigeria, industry stakeholders have warned against the implications, which they described as detrimental to Nigeria’s growth in the cyberspace.

The stakeholders gave the warning during the Tech Convergence Forum, organised by the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA) in Abuja.

Themed: ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Digital Independence: The Role of Policy, Digital Identity, and .ng for Economic Growth’, the Tech Convergence 3.0 Forum insisted that it was time for Nigeria to own, govern, and aggressively expand its digital identity without further delay.

Among the conference’s most sobering disclosures was the revelation that Nigeria loses an estimated $850 million annually by failing to fully leverage its own digital identity infrastructure.

In his welcome address, President of NiRA, Mr. Adesola Akinsaya, called on Nigerians to begin to consider .ng domain name as their identity in cyberspace, which must be prioritised above foreign domain names.

“Digital independence does not mean isolation from the global internet. It means a secure, resilient, and competitive digital ecosystem that gives Nigeria greater control over its data, infrastructure, digital identity system, and online presence,” Akinsaya said.  

Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, who delivered the keynote address, made reference to the US-China tech war, the EU’s battles with Apple and Google over COVID contact-tracing sovereignty, and Israel’s use of digital infrastructure in warfare. Based on his analogy, he referred to Nigeria’s .ng domain not as a registration technicality but as a matter of national security.