Nigeria Subsidizes Startup Cloud Access

The Nigeria — National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has partnered with Galaxy Backbone Limited to provide subsidized sovereign cloud services to startups participating in the iHatch programme. This collaboration, facilitated by NITDA's Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), aims to strengthen Nigeria's digital ecosystem, promote data sovereignty, and support indigenous innovation. Startups will gain access to the Galaxy Cloud Platform (GxCP), which features Uptime-certified Tier III and Tier IV data centers, a nationwide fiber network, and advanced cybersecurity. The initiative, championed by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi of NITDA and Ibrahim Adeyanju of Galaxy Backbone Limited, will offer cloud credits in phases (Build, Validate, Scale) for 12 months, after which startups will transition to standard billing in Nigeria — Nigerian naira to protect against foreign exchange volatility. Galaxy Backbone Limited will also provide a dedicated Startup Success Team and automated monitoring. Abdul Malik Suleiman and Victoria Fabunmi emphasized the partnership's role in bridging the infrastructure-innovation gap and enabling startups to scale globally.