President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025 into law by the end of the month.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, made this announcement during a public hearing organized by the ICT and Cybersecurity committees, as well as the Digital and Information Technology committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.
He indicated that Nigeria is poised to make history as the first African nation to enact a comprehensive law on digital economy and e-governance.
Tijani described the Bill as a transformative framework that will modernise governance, strengthen the digital economy, and help unlock Nigeria’s pathway to a 1 trillion dollar economy.
“This Bill is being awaited by President Bola Tinubu for assent this month, as it is one of the catalysts for achieving our 1 trillion dollar economic projection,” the minister said.
According to him, the digital economy’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP has grown from 16 percent to 19 percent, with projections to reach 21 percent by 2027.
The bill, he explained, establishes a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for electronic communications, digital signatures, artificial intelligence (AI) governance, cybersecurity, and digital literacy.
He stressed that the Tinubu administration is focused on long-term digital reforms, not short-term solutions.
“Together with the National Assembly, we are deploying 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic network to connect every geopolitical zone, state, and local government with world-class internet access.
“Beyond this, we are addressing the needs of over 20 million unconnected Nigerians by deploying nearly 4,000 new communication towers in underserved communities,” Tijani said.
The bill also proposes the creation of a National Data Exchange System to facilitate secure data sharing among government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and between the public and private sectors, further outlining a framework for ethical AI adoption, aimed at boosting productivity and competitiveness across industries.
“In strengthening this Bill, we are shaping the future of generations yet unborn. The generation that liberalised our telecoms sector in 1999 laid the foundation for today’s growth. Now, we take the next bold step to expand our economy through technology and innovation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, described the bill as a milestone in Nigeria’s digital governance journey, noting that it would provide legal recognition for electronic communications, records, and contracts while mandating all public institutions to digitise their operations
