Digital Infrastructure Is Nigeria's Top Tech Gap, Expert Says

Weak digital infrastructure is the most critical gap holding back Nigeria's technology ecosystem, according to Ms Mary Mmoh, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) System Builder and Automation Specialist.

 

Mmoh spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, in response to a question on what Nigeria needs to build a stronger technology sector.

 

She identified reliable electricity, internet connectivity, data centres and access to cloud infrastructure as the foundations that allow technology companies to build and scale.

 

According to Mmoh, Nigerian technology companies often build their products locally but deploy them on foreign infrastructure, an arrangement she said was expensive because of the exchange rate.

 

For that reason, she said, government investment in local data centres and dedicated servers was imperative, as it would significantly reduce the cost of running technology solutions in Nigeria.

 

"If the government invested in reliable, high-quality data centres and dedicated servers within Nigeria, it can significantly reduce the cost of deploying technology solutions.

 

"This will give local technology companies a stronger foundation to build and scale their products," she said.

 

She added that reliable internet and affordable cloud and computing resources would further support the sector's growth.

 

 

Mmoh also named limited access to capital and poor market reach as major challenges for Nigerian technology companies.

 

She said some firms had built genuinely useful solutions but lacked the resources to market them effectively or reach the right audience. Potential users, she noted, were sometimes unaware such solutions existed because of limited infrastructure, affordability issues and low awareness.

 

"One major reason promising Nigerian technology solutions struggle is limited access to resources, particularly capital and market access.

 

"Some technology companies may have built a genuinely useful solution, but they may not have enough resources to effectively market it or reach the right audience," she said.

 

Both sides, she argued, must be brought together: technology companies need the capacity to reach their markets, while potential users need the infrastructure and awareness to adopt new solutions.

 

Government also has a role to play, Mmoh said, by creating an enabling environment in which emerging technology companies can grow and compete effectively. A good technology solution, she added, has a better chance of becoming a sustainable business when the right conditions are in place.

 

Mmoh called for a structured research and development centre where Nigerian researchers, startups and businesses could collaborate on practical solutions.

 

She said government support would be critical, particularly in funding, infrastructure and opportunities to test and deploy solutions at market level, and stressed the need for a platform that moves useful ideas beyond research into products that reach consumers.

 

"There should be a structured platform where Nigerian researchers, technology startups and businesses can come together to collaborate and develop practical solutions.

 

"Government support will also be important, particularly in providing funding, infrastructure and opportunities to test and deploy these solutions.

 

"Most importantly, the platform will help move useful ideas beyond research into products that can actually reach the market and consumers," she said.

 

Mmoh advised Nigerian startups to think about the global market from the outset and build with international users in mind.

 

That, she said, means using reliable infrastructure that can serve customers in different locations, offering payment options that support different currencies, and taking account of international data protection and regulatory requirements so products can be adopted easily outside Nigeria.

 

According to Mmoh, technology companies that survive changing market demands are set apart by their ability to understand user adoption and adapt continuously.

 

Such companies, she said, invest in research, development and education, and have stronger business capacity and access to investors that give them room to grow.

 

By contrast, she said, companies that fade away after launching their first product often lack the capacity or willingness to keep evolving with the market.