The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has entered into a strategic partnership with Galaxy Backbone Limited to provide subsidised sovereign cloud services for startups participating in the iHatch programme.
The partnership, facilitated through NITDA’s Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem by improving access to secure cloud infrastructure, promoting data sovereignty and supporting indigenous innovation.
Under the arrangement, startups enrolled in the iHatch programme will be onboarded onto the Galaxy Cloud Platform (GxCP), which is supported by Uptime-certified Tier III and Tier IV data centres, a nationwide fibre network and enhanced cybersecurity infrastructure.
Speaking on the initiative, Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the collaboration aligns with the agency’s commitment to building a resilient and globally competitive startup ecosystem through improved access to digital infrastructure.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Ibrahim Adeyanju, said the initiative would enable startups to access secure enterprise-grade cloud services at subsidised rates while hosting their data locally.
According to him, the move would also contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s digital sovereignty.
Adeyanju explained that the cloud support initiative would operate on a tiered, milestone-based structure in which cloud credits would be released across the “Build, Validate and Scale” phases of participating startups’ development.
He added that the credits would remain valid for 12 months, after which beneficiaries would migrate to standard or pay-as-you-go billing models.
The partnership also includes the establishment of a dedicated Startup Success Team by Galaxy Backbone to support adoption and ensure efficient use of cloud resources through automated usage monitoring systems.
General Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Galaxy Backbone, Abdul Malik Suleiman, described the collaboration as a deliberate effort to bridge the gap between digital infrastructure and innovation in Nigeria.
Also speaking, National Coordinator of ONDI, Victoria Fabunmi, said integrating sovereign cloud services into the iHatch programme would strengthen the ability of startups to scale and compete globally using the right digital tools.
According to NITDA, the iHatch programme has so far trained more than 160 startups through 37 hub partners across the country, with the new partnership expected to further accelerate innovation and growth within Nigeria’s digital economy.