NITDA Signs MoUs with Fireflies AI and Goose FL

In Short

NITDA has signed two memoranda of understanding in Toronto with Canadian firms Fireflies AI and Goose FL.

The agency says the deals focus on financial inclusion, local AI infrastructure, and digital economy growth.

What Happened

Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, announced it signed MoUs with Fireflies AI and Goose FL in Toronto. NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi witnessed the signings.

NITDA said the agreements are built around three goals.

First is financial inclusion, meaning more people can use formal digital financial services like transfers, payments, and savings tools. NITDA said the partners will work on technology solutions that broaden access and create economic opportunities for underserved communities.

Second is local AI infrastructure. AI infrastructure is the computing hardware, data systems, and software services needed to build and run artificial intelligence, like the “engine room” behind AI products. NITDA said the MoUs are designed to help Nigeria develop indigenous AI infrastructure and services, so local organisations can build, manage, and benefit from AI without relying mainly on foreign-controlled systems.

Third is broader digital economy growth, through technology transfer and capacity building. Technology transfer is when know-how and tools move from one country or company to another, usually with training and support.

NITDA framed the partnerships as part of a wider push to connect Nigeria’s tech ecosystem to global expertise. The agency also linked the move to President Bola Tinubu’s target of a one trillion dollar economy by 2030.

Why It Matters

AI policy in Nigeria is shifting from high-level strategy to practical needs like compute capacity, cloud rules, and local skills. MoUs do not guarantee delivery, but they can set up pilots, procurement paths, and training programmes.

If NITDA can translate these agreements into local deployments, it could help Nigerian startups and public agencies access AI tools and infrastructure with fewer bottlenecks. It could also support new financial inclusion products that reach users beyond major cities.

The announcement also follows recent NITDA partnerships, including digital skills initiatives and work on Nigeria’s sovereign cloud framework, which aims to keep sensitive data and key services within trusted national systems.