The Senate on Thursday advanced its push to reshape Nigeria’s digital landscape, with stakeholders throwing their weight behind two key legislative proposals aimed at tightening the regulation of global technology companies and boosting the country’s artificial intelligence capacity.

At a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, participants endorsed a bill seeking to compel major social media platforms operating in Nigeria to establish physical offices in the country, while also supporting legislation to create a National Artificial Intelligence Academy in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The bills, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) and Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), respectively, were presented as complementary efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy through improved regulation and investment in emerging technologies.

The first proposal seeks to amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, by making it mandatory for social media companies with Nigerian operations to maintain a physical presence within the country.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, said the legislation reflects the National Assembly’s determination to ensure that Nigeria’s digital economy is backed by institutions capable of protecting users, enforcing compliance and encouraging technological innovation.

According to him, while one bill focuses on improving governance and accountability in the digital ecosystem, the other seeks to establish a specialised institution that will drive artificial intelligence education, research and innovation.

Representing Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate Leader Senator Lola Ashiru said the proposals were not targeted at restricting technology companies but at creating a framework that aligns their operations with Nigeria’s economic and regulatory interests.

He described both bills as strategic interventions that would strengthen governance in the digital space while preparing the country for the next phase of technological development.

Making the case for the legislation, Senator Ned Nwoko argued that Nigeria has remained an outlier despite being Africa’s largest digital market, with many global technology firms serving millions of Nigerian users without maintaining comparable operational structures in the country.

He said requiring physical offices would improve regulatory engagement, consumer protection, tax compliance, dispute resolution and employment opportunities for Nigerian professionals.

“This Bill is neither punitive nor hostile to innovation. It is not designed to frustrate investment or discourage technology companies from operating in Nigeria.

“Rather, it seeks to deepen their engagement with Nigeria by encouraging them to become true corporate citizens of our country,” he said.

Nwoko pointed to countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Brazil, where companies such as Meta, Google, X, LinkedIn and TikTok have established regional headquarters, engineering centres, policy units and customer support operations.

He argued that those investments have generated employment, expanded tax revenues, promoted innovation and strengthened cooperation between governments and technology companies.

“If countries with significantly smaller populations and digital markets than Nigeria have secured these investments and benefits, why should Nigeria continue to stand on the sidelines? Why should Africa’s largest digital market not enjoy the same opportunities?” he asked.

The proposed AI Academy also drew broad endorsement from stakeholders, who described it as a timely initiative to prepare Nigeria’s workforce for the growing influence of artificial intelligence across government, education, business and industry.

If enacted, supporters said, the academy could serve as a national hub for AI research, innovation, skills development and technology transfer, helping Nigeria compete in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy.

The public hearing underscored the Senate’s broader legislative effort to balance digital regulation with innovation, as lawmakers seek to ensure that Nigeria derives greater economic and technological value from its rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.