Nigeria’s technology regulator has set up a new cross-agency working group to create a more flexible regulatory environment for digital startups and innovators, aiming to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that slow down new technologies.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Thursday inaugurated the Technical Working Group (TWG) for its National Regulatory Sandbox initiative. The move is part of a broader effort to modernize regulation and help Nigeria’s digital economy grow faster.
Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA director general, at the event, said regulators must stop working in isolation.
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“The issue is not a lack of commitment, but a structural one. Regulators often operate in silos, and in today’s digital environment, that model presents significant limitations,” Inuwa, who was represented by Emmanuel Edet, acting director of regulation and compliance, stated.
The new framework will allow startups in areas such as fintech, artificial intelligence, health technology, blockchain, agriculture, clean energy, and digital public services to test their products in a controlled sandbox environment under the watch of multiple regulators at once.
This approach is designed to shorten approval times, cut red tape, and give regulators real-world evidence before granting full market licenses.
Unlike many sandbox programmes that focus only on finance, Nigeria’s version is sector-neutral.
Victoria Fabunmi, national coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), said innovators currently face fragmented rules and slow processes that create uncertainty for businesses.
“The National Regulatory Sandbox is a governance and legal framework aimed at creating an enabling environment where innovation can thrive responsibly,” she said.
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NITDA officials stressed that the sandbox will not remove or weaken existing regulations. Instead, it seeks better coordination among government agencies so that rules support, rather than block ,useful innovations that can improve lives and drive economic growth.
The agency hopes the initiative will help position Nigeria as a more competitive digital economy in Africa by bridging the gap between fast-moving technology and traditional regulation.
The inauguration of the Technical Working Group marks the latest step in NITDA’s push to act as an ecosystem orchestrator for Nigeria’s digital transformation.
