Senate backs bill seeking physical offices for Meta, Google, X in Nigeria

A Senate bill seeking to compel social media platforms, including Meta, Google, and X, to establish physical offices in Nigeria has progressed after receiving broad support from stakeholders at a public hearing.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 to mandate social media platforms operating in the country to maintain physical offices in Nigeria. The bill was considered at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security.

Speaking at the hearing, the committee chairman stated that the social media bill was designed to strengthen the protection of Nigeria’s cyberspace, while the accompanying AI academy bill would provide a centre of excellence for artificial intelligence education and research.

Representing the Senate leadership, a statement was delivered describing the bills as forward-looking legislative proposals that reflect commitment to improving governance through legislation. It was emphasized that the bill requiring social media companies to establish physical offices in Nigeria was not intended to stifle innovation or discourage investment.

This position was echoed during presentation of the proposed law, emphasizing its goal to encourage technology companies to deepen their engagement with the country:

“This bill is neither punitive nor hostile to innovation. It is not designed to frustrate investment or discourage technology companies from operating in Nigeria. On the contrary, it seeks to deepen their engagement with Nigeria by encouraging them to become true corporate citizens of our country.”

It was noted that global technology firms already maintain offices in countries with smaller populations and digital markets than Nigeria, citing the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, India, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and Japan as countries hosting regional headquarters and operational hubs.

Those offices support engineering, AI research, legal and regulatory compliance, public policy, cloud services, customer support, and product development. The presence of these companies has helped those countries create jobs, boost tax revenue, strengthen regulatory engagement, promote technology transfer, and attract foreign investment.

“The question therefore is simple: if countries with significantly smaller populations and digital markets than Nigeria have secured these investments and benefits, why should Nigeria continue to stand on the sidelines? Why should Africa’s largest digital market not enjoy the same opportunities?”