Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector have raised concerns over the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s (FMCIDE) partnership with Hello.cv under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, arguing that the inclusion of Cape Verde’s .cv domain for 20,000 Nigerian beneficiaries may conflict with the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy and raise questions about data sovereignty, digital identity, and privacy protection.
The concerns follow the recent announcement by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, of a $10 million partnership with Hello.cv. Under the arrangement, 20,000 3MTT fellows will receive access to a package valued at $500 per participant, including a personal .cv domain, an AI-powered job search agent, and professional CV-writing support.
While stakeholders have welcomed efforts to expand opportunities for Nigerian digital talents, many argue that requiring beneficiaries to use a foreign country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) instead of Nigeria’s indigenous .ng domain contradicts the spirit of the Nigeria First Policy and promotes another nation’s digital identity at the expense of Nigeria’s own.
They contend that the government could have retained the training and career-development benefits of the partnership while ensuring that beneficiaries are hosted on the .ng domain managed by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the registry for Nigeria’s country-code top-level domain.
Speaking on the issue, Chief Executive Officer of DNS Africa Media and Communications, Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, questioned the wisdom of onboarding thousands of Nigerians onto a foreign domain platform.
“The first thing we need to understand is that the number of people being onboarded to the .cv ccTLD is huge. Does the .cv ccTLD have policies that adequately protect the privacy of Nigerians’ data? Even if it does, is it appropriate when the government is promoting a ‘Nigeria First’ agenda? It is very improper,” he said.
Akinbo argued that Nigeria’s .ng domain has the capacity to accommodate millions of users and suggested that Hello.cv could retain its branding while operating within Nigeria’s domain ecosystem through a structure such as hello.cv.ng.
“If branding is their priority, they can obtain a hello.cv.ng domain. If they want to build a business opportunity around the initiative, they can partner with local stakeholders and onboard millions of Nigerians through the .ng domain,” he added.
Approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on May 5, 2025, the Nigeria First Policy mandates federal ministries, departments, and agencies to prioritise locally produced goods and services in government procurement in order to stimulate domestic industries, reduce import dependence, and create jobs.
Industry observers argue that while the Hello.cv package offers valuable services such as AI-powered job matching and professional CV support, the inclusion of a foreign domain component could result in Nigerian beneficiaries promoting another country’s internet identity rather than strengthening Nigeria’s own digital ecosystem.
Chief Executive Officer of Programos and InnovationBed-AI Academy, Emmanuel Amos, said inconsistent implementation of government policies has contributed to declining public confidence in national initiatives.
“Nigeria seems to have lost the collective will to allow technology to deliver real value to the ecosystem. We invest in technology and create policies, but often lack the institutional commitment required to ensure those policies work effectively for the benefit of the country,” he said.
Akinbo further linked the issue to the broader national conversation on cybersecurity and digital sovereignty.
“Only recently, the ministry organised a major cybersecurity conference. Issues such as this should be at the forefront of our national cybersecurity agenda. The .ng domain should remain central, while foreign domains play supporting roles, to ensure Nigeria’s data and digital assets remain protected,” he stated.
He warned that transferring large volumes of Nigerian data outside the country’s digital jurisdiction could reduce Nigeria’s ability to influence how such data is managed and protected.
“As good as the initiative sounds, excluding the .ng domain from the arrangement is a mistake. There is still room to review the agreement and ensure that Nigeria retains the full value of its digital assets and identity,” he said.
Also commenting, Ugonma Egwuatu of ECAM Global Services, an ICT and Data Protection firm, called for greater scrutiny from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
“We are talking about 20,000 data subjects. The NDPC should be interested in understanding how the data will be managed, protected, and utilised,” she said.
According to Egwuatu, key questions remain unanswered regarding data collection, storage, and usage.
“There should be transparency about what happens behind the scenes. What data is being collected? How will it be used? Why was a foreign domain selected instead of the .ng domain? These are legitimate questions that deserve clear answers,” she noted.
She added that a robust third-party data protection framework should be in place to safeguard participants and ensure compliance with Nigeria’s data protection regulations.
“I would like to believe that the ministry conducted its due diligence before entering into the partnership, because the security and privacy of Nigerians’ data are involved,” she said.
As debate continues, stakeholders are urging the government to review aspects of the agreement and ensure that the objectives of digital skills development are pursued in a manner that aligns with the Nigeria First Policy, strengthens the .ng ecosystem, and safeguards national digital interests.
