The National Information Technology Development Agency has signed memoranda of understanding with two Canadian technology companies, Goose FL and Fireflies AI, in Toronto.

The development comes as Nigeria moves to secure international partnerships for artificial intelligence infrastructure and financial inclusion technology.

The agency made the disclosure in a statement released on Tuesday on its X page.

NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi witnessed the signing of both agreements, which the agency described as part of a broader strategy to connect Nigeria’s technology ecosystem to global expertise while building local AI capacity.

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What NITDA is saying

The agency said the two agreements are anchored on three strategic objectives spanning financial inclusion, local AI infrastructure development and broader digital economy growth.

  • On financial inclusion, NITDA said the partnerships would focus on “developing innovative technology solutions that broaden access to digital financial services and create sustainable economic opportunities for underserved communities.”
  • On AI infrastructure, the agency said the agreements are designed to support the establishment of indigenous AI infrastructure and services, strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to build, manage and benefit from AI technologies locally rather than remaining dependent on systems built and controlled elsewhere.
  • On the broader digital economy objective, NITDA framed the collaborations as vehicles for technology transfer, innovation and digital capacity development intended to drive long-term economic growth.

The agency said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s goal of growing Nigeria into a one trillion dollar economy by 2030, anchored on innovation, digital technology and human capital development.

Get up to speed

The NITDA-Goose FL-Fireflies AI agreements are the latest in a series of technology partnerships and digital infrastructure initiatives pursued by the agency in recent months.

The agency said the partnership is aimed at extending digital skills training to entrepreneurs in remote and underserved communities across Nigeria.

The instruments include the National Cloud Computing Guideline, National Cloud Technical Guideline and National Digital Infrastructure Assurance Framework (NDIAF), alongside the presentation of the National Cloud Investment Strategy.

The pattern reflects a deliberate strategy by NITDA to use bilateral and multilateral agreements to accelerate Nigeria’s digital infrastructure development.

What you should know

This also comes as NITDA moves to standardise software development and testing across government, with plans to license technology firms to provide independent software testing and certification services.

  • Theinitiative follows the launch of the National Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Framework, which requires Federal Government software projects to undergo independent third-party testing and certification before deployment.
  • According to NITDA, the framework is designed to reduce costly IT failures, strengthen cybersecurity and improve public trust in digital government services by establishing national standards for software development, testing and deployment.

The framework, signed by the NITDA Director-General under the NITDA Act 2007, will become a mandatory requirement for obtaining IT Project Clearance for government software projects from the second quarter of 2027.