NITDA Inaugurates Multi-Agency Sandbox Group to Boost Digital Innovation

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) aimed at strengthening regulatory collaboration and establishing a coordinated sandbox framework to support digital innovation in Nigeria.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, represented by the Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance, Emmanuel Edet, said the initiative was introduced to address structural regulatory challenges that often slow innovation across Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
According to Inuwa, members of the Technical Working Group were selected based on their institutional relevance and ability to contribute practical solutions that align with the realities of Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
He explained that while regulatory agencies have legitimate mandates, the increasing complexity of digital technologies now requires stronger institutional collaboration to ensure regulations support, rather than hinder, innovation.
“As government institutions, our core responsibility is to provide solutions to the challenges faced by Nigerians. Regulators often operate in silos while implementing their mandates, and in today’s digital environment, that model presents significant limitations,” he stated.
The NITDA boss noted that technological advancement continues to outpace traditional regulatory systems, creating gaps capable of delaying innovative solutions that could improve livelihoods and drive national development.
To address this challenge, he said NITDA is promoting a multi-agency regulatory framework that would bring regulators together to better understand overlapping responsibilities and jointly develop adaptive mechanisms that encourage innovation while maintaining effective oversight.
A key aspect of the initiative is the introduction of regulatory sandboxes — controlled environments where innovators can safely test emerging technologies under the supervision of relevant authorities.
“Our guiding principle is that we learn by doing. Through these sandboxes, regulators can contribute to building safe spaces where innovation can be nurtured, tested, and scaled for the benefit of Nigerians,” Inuwa added.
He further clarified that the initiative is not designed to weaken the statutory powers of any regulatory institution, but rather to improve coordination and create a more responsive regulatory ecosystem capable of keeping pace with technological advancement.
According to him, stronger inter-agency collaboration is essential for ensuring Nigeria remains competitive in the global digital economy and fully leverages innovation as a driver of inclusive economic growth.
Providing an overview of the National Regulatory Sandbox, the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Victoria Fabunmi, explained that the framework would provide innovators with a structured and legally guided environment to test emerging technologies before obtaining full market approval.
Fabunmi noted that innovators in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, fintech, health technology, blockchain, agriculture, mobility, clean energy, and digital public infrastructure often face delays caused by fragmented approval processes and siloed regulations.
She described the National Regulatory Sandbox as a governance and legal framework that extends beyond a mere digital platform, adding that Nigeria’s model is intentionally sector-agnostic to encourage collaboration among regulators across multiple industries.
Under the framework, startups and innovators will be able to engage several regulators simultaneously within a controlled testing environment, thereby reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and shortening the time-to-market for innovative solutions.
Fabunmi added that the sandbox would also provide evidence-based regulatory insights to help participating agencies make informed decisions collectively and formulate policies that support responsible innovation.
The inauguration of the Technical Working Group marks another significant step in NITDA’s broader efforts to build a more agile, collaborative, and innovation-friendly regulatory environment in line with Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a leading digital economy in Africa.