Nigeria’s President Orders 180-Day Roadmap for Digital Free Zones

FTZ News: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given his trade minister 180 days to prepare a launch plan for Nigeria’s digital free zones.
According to the Nigerian State House, the directive went to Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade and investment and vice chair of the presidential steering committee on the zones.

Bayo Onanuga, the president’s adviser on information, announced the directive. Oduwole is to work with the Itana project and the committee. A State House note dated Sept. 16 said Vice President Kashim Shettima met with arts minister Hannatu Musawa and communications minister Bosun Tijani to discuss the initiative.

Itana holds a license from the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority. The presidency describes it as the country’s first digital free zone. The Africa Finance Corporation is backing a $500 million Itana Innovation campus at Alaro City in Lagos. The government says the framework is intended to allow Nigerian technology and service companies to raise capital abroad and create jobs at home without moving their companies or intellectual property out of the country.

NEPZA would be responsible for licensing and regulating the zones, while the National Information Technology Development Agency would handle networks, data and security. Taxation, banking, visas and arbitration are among the issues still to be addressed by the committee.

The government has quoted Tinubu, Shettima, Musawa and Tijani on the need to keep jobs and companies in Nigeria. No second site has been identified and no tenants have been announced.

The 180-day deadline is for a roadmap, not a date for Alaro City to be fully operational. Itana has its license. The next question is what the roadmap will require before the digital free-zone framework can operate at scale. Oduwole’s roadmap should provide the dates and implementation steps companies can work with./.

Photo: State House