NiRA convenes stakeholders to strengthen internet sovereignty

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association will convene policymakers, industry executives, and cybersecurity experts in Abuja next month for a forum aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and reducing reliance on foreign internet infrastructure.

The third edition of its flagship conference, Tech Convergence 3.0, is scheduled for 2 June 2026 at the Abuja Continental Hotel. The one-day summit will focus on policy, digital identity, and internet governance as key levers for expanding Nigeria’s control over its digital economy.

NiRA, which manages the country’s .ng domain name system, said the event will bring together stakeholders from government, telecoms, cybersecurity, academia, and the private sector to address structural challenges in Nigeria’s internet ecosystem.

A central theme of the summit is Nigeria’s dependence on offshore infrastructure, with organisers citing estimates that more than 90 per cent of African internet traffic is routed through servers outside the continent.

The group said this raises concerns around data sovereignty, economic value leakage, and national security risks, while also limiting the development of local digital infrastructure.

“Tech Convergence 3.0 is the most consequential edition of this forum to date,” President of NiRA Adesola Akinsanya noted. “Nigeria is at an inflection point in its digital journey, and the decisions we make now will define our digital economy for the next generation.”

Sessions at the summit will examine the role of digital identity systems, policy reform, and expansion of the .ng domain in strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. Other discussions will focus on Domain Name System Security Extensions and broader cybersecurity risks facing financial institutions and public infrastructure.

NiRA said the programme is designed to move beyond diagnosis towards actionable policy recommendations and implementation frameworks.

“The design of this year’s programme reflects the maturity of the Tech Convergence platform,” Chairman of the Tech Convergence Committee Seun Kehinde stated. “Every session has been built around a specific, actionable outcome.”

The forum will also feature presentations on Nigeria’s data localisation challenges and the economic implications of continued reliance on foreign digital infrastructure.

Speakers will include senior officials from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the National Information Technology Development Agency, Galaxy Backbone, cybersecurity experts, legal practitioners, and international internet governance representatives.

NiRA said the conference will conclude with a communiqué outlining recommendations for government and industry stakeholders, which will be circulated to relevant ministries and regulators.

The association, which operates Nigeria’s .ng country code top-level domain under the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers framework, said the summit is part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and governance systems as adoption of online services accelerates.