The Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, has called on Nigerians to support locally produced goods and services, particularly digital infrastructure, describing it as a national duty.

Oyedele made the call on Monday during a visit to Galaxy Backbone in Abuja, where he said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was committed to promoting and prioritising made-in-Nigeria products and services.

The minister urged public and private sector organisations to consider Nigerian-made software, hardware and other digital solutions rather than automatically relying on foreign providers.

According to him, supporting local digital infrastructure could reduce costs while delivering better quality.

He said digital infrastructure was critical to the government’s plans for growing Nigeria’s digital economy and strengthening the country’s technological capacity.

Oyedele also stressed the importance of data sovereignty and building a strong domestic technology ecosystem, urging organisations to see their work as contributing to national development.

He said the government was prepared to support local technology providers and collaborate with them to increase their impact.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, said neither government nor businesses could effectively scale their operations without reliable connectivity and secure digital infrastructure.

Adeyanju called for sustained investment from both the public and private sectors, noting that digitisation, innovation, artificial intelligence and the broader digital economy depend on dependable digital infrastructure.

“Digital infrastructure requires sustained investment. Government cannot effectively digitise without connectivity and secure infrastructure. Businesses cannot scale without digital networks,” he said.