Koko Maxwella 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria risks stalling its fast-growing digital economy if it continues to rely heavily on solar energy without expanding into broader renewable sources, an industry expert has warned.
Darshana Deka, conference producer for IoT West Africa, said the country’s energy ecosystem remains underutilised despite vast untapped potential across multiple renewable options.
“The power market in Nigeria is huge… but beyond solar, there are many other sustainable energy sources yet to be explored,” she said in Lagos.
Deka warned that rising demand from data centres, telecom infrastructure and digital platforms is already outpacing available power supply, creating a looming bottleneck for economic growth.
She stressed that digital transformation depends on integrated systems, including reliable energy infrastructure and local data capacity.
“Countries must retain control over their data,” she added, highlighting the urgency of strengthening data sovereignty.
Despite increasing investments, Nigeria’s data centre capacity remains insufficient to meet growing demand, raising concerns about long-term competitiveness.
Industry leaders say platforms like IoT West Africa are helping drive collaboration between policymakers, investors and innovators to shape Nigeria’s digital economy ahead of 2030.
About the Author
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Mirian Gom 