Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB), the Federal Government’s ICT infrastructure and services provider, says it has allocated one petabyte of data storage capacity to support the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects across Nigeria, in a move expected to strengthen national readiness for AI-driven innovation.
The initiative, officials say, represents a major expansion of GBB’s computing and storage power, and forms part of ongoing efforts to scale the National ICT Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB) and position Nigeria as an AI-ready digital economy.
Speaking at the 5th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (ICAIR) organised by the Machine Intelligence and Robotics Group (MIRG) at the University of Lagos, Nnamdi Onoh, Team Lead, Field Support (Southwest Region), Galaxy Backbone, says the new allocation is part of the agency’s direct contribution to building the nation’s AI infrastructure ecosystem.
“Galaxy Backbone operates the first Tier IV data centre in West Africa. We have allocated at least one petabyte of storage space for AI projects in Nigeria, providing the essential capacity needed to store and process the vast volumes of data that AI requires,” Onoh says in his presentation titled Galaxy Backbone’s Contribution to Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure.
“Galaxy Backbone operates the first Tier IV data centre in West Africa. We have allocated at least one petabyte of storage space for AI projects in Nigeria, providing the essential capacity needed to store and process the vast volumes of data that AI requires,” Onoh says in his presentation titled Galaxy Backbone’s Contribution to Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure.
Scaling national digital infrastructure for AI
According to Onoh, the enhancement of Galaxy Backbone’s data infrastructure is designed to address duplication and underutilisation of existing government data centres.
“You have ministries putting up data centres everywhere that they utilise less than 10% of,” he notes, adding that consolidating such fragmented systems through the National ICT Infrastructure Backbone Project (NICTIB I & II) has expanded fibre-optic connectivity across Nigeria.
The expansion, he explains, aims to push broadband access deeper into rural and underserved communities, a key enabler for Nigeria’s wider digital transformation goals.
National Compute Project to drive AI processing power
Highlighting the agency’s direct role in advancing AI-readiness, Onoh reveals that Galaxy Backbone is partnering with 21st Century Technologies on the development of Nigeria’s National Compute Project — a landmark initiative expected to provide the high-performance computing capacity needed to accelerate AI research and applications of national interest.
“The infrastructure will be housed in our data centre and made locally accessible to researchers, startups, and government entities,” he says, noting that the effort aligns with global trends where sovereign cloud and localised data centres serve as foundational layers for digital sovereignty and innovation.
Recognising the growing importance of secure digital environments for AI deployment, Galaxy Backbone says it has made significant investments in cybersecurity through its Security Operations Centre-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) platforms.
“These systems protect the integrity and reliability of AI platforms, building the trust essential for their widespread adoption and acceptance,” Onoh explains.
Driving government-wide digital transformation
Galaxy Backbone is also leading the Federal Government’s digital transformation push across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has directed all MDAs to digitise their processes by December 31, 2025, as part of ongoing reforms to create a fully electronic government system.
GBB says the nationwide transition will leverage its Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) and Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) platforms to eliminate delays in administrative workflows, enabling remote approvals and more efficient public service delivery.
Officials say that by boosting processing power, expanding data storage capacity, and improving network connectivity, Galaxy Backbone is positioning Nigeria’s digital infrastructure to support not just today’s computing needs, but also the demands of an AI-powered economy.
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