NITDA sets up multi-agency group for national regulatory sandbox
The proposed framework would let companies test emerging products under supervision while regulators coordinate requirements across sectors.
The National Information Technology Development Agency inaugurated a technical working group to design and implement a national regulatory sandbox for products and business models that cut across established agency boundaries.
The sector-neutral framework is intended to let innovators test products in a controlled environment before full licensing, while regulators observe risks and coordinate their conditions rather than issuing disconnected requirements.
Coordination is the central promise
Fintech, digital health, mobility and agricultural technology often combine payments, personal data, communications and sector-specific services. A company can therefore fall under several regulators even at pilot stage, increasing time and compliance cost.
NITDA said the working group would refine governance, identify implementation gaps and agree on operating rules. The sandbox will need public entry criteria, time limits and clear exit decisions so supervised testing does not become an indefinite substitute for licensing or consumer safeguards.
Sources
National Information Technology Development Agency, “National Regulatory Sandbox to Drive Responsible Innovation, Regulatory Coordination” (2026); Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation working-group announcement (21 May 2026).
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