Director General National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA Kashifu Inuwa CCIE flanked by Abdulhamid Yahaya on his left and Jamil Kabir Galadanchi on his right both from e-Health Africa
In alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focused on expediting diversification through industrialization and digitization, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with pertinent development partners. Their goal is to achieve a 95% digital literacy coverage in Nigeria by the culmination of 2030.
During a working visit to the Agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, the Director General of NITDA, articulated this commitment while engaging in discussions with e-health Africa, a development partner. Inuwa emphasized the necessity of concerted efforts in implementing digital initiatives, which hold the potential to profoundly impact Nigerians.
He informed the visitors that NITDA is spearheading the implementation of seven out of the nine strategic plans unveiled by the Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy. These initiatives are being advanced through NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2024-2027.
The Director General underscored the significance of collaboration with relevant organizations and experts to ensure the successful implementation of policies and to expedite results for the country’s holistic development.
“The seventy per cent national digital literacy coverage by 2027 would be a litmus test for the ambitious 95% digital literacy coverage by 2030,” he said.
He detailed the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan as the cornerstone for erecting a resilient tech ecosystem, pivotal in fortifying the nation’s pursuit of sustainable economic development. In his discourse, NITDA is actively engaged with esteemed development partners such as GIZ, the UK government, and the Federal Ministry of Education to overhaul its curriculum for digital skills acquisition, thereby catalyzing Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Responding to the policy paradigm shift, Inuwa emphasized the imperative of honing skills in demand to construct a viable tech ecosystem. This stratagem, he articulated, aims to redress Nigeria’s digital illiteracy conundrums while fostering digital innovations for a robust and sustainable economy. The DG underscored the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s strategic blueprint, entrusting NITDA with the implementation of various pivotal programs encompassing AI, Blockchain, IoT, the Nigerian Start-up Act, Data Strategy, and the Digital Economy Bill.
In soliciting collaboration with the visiting delegation, Inuwa conveyed the urgency of executing these programs for the nation’s betterment. He also acknowledged the underutilization of NITDA’s digital literacy centers and pledged further investment in research and capacity building, fostering partnerships with academia, startups, and non-governmental organizations. Inuwa divulged NITDA’s partnership with the Ministry to implement the 3 Million Tech Talents (3MTT) initiative, addressing the IT gap through interventions like learning centers, while concurrently bolstering the nation’s cybersecurity and digital trust.
To assuage apprehensions linked with IT and digital services, Inuwa delineated internal reforms, ensuring a psychologically safe environment, organizational excellence, cultural reorientation, automation of government processes, and reshaping citizens’ mindsets for expeditious adoption of digital innovations.
Earlier, the visiting team from e-health Africa, led by Abdulhamid Yahaya, articulated that their visit aimed to formally apprise the agency of their activities and engagements across the country. This objective aligns with NITDA’s mandate as the nation’s apex IT regulator. Additionally, they sought robust collaboration in implementing the National e-health policy with their digital empire. He assured that e-Health Africa stands ready and committed to collaborating with NITDA and other pertinent organizations to actualize the aspirations of the entire Nigerian populace.
