Nigeria’s leadership in digital governance and open government reforms has received global recognition as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) team formally presented international awards won at the OGP Global Summit Spain 2025 to the leadership of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
At the summit held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category, in recognition of its effective use of digital tools and policies to promote transparency, accountability and citizen participation. The country also secured the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, reinforcing Nigeria’s growing influence in shaping open government practices across the region.
The awards were largely attributed to initiatives spearheaded by NITDA in partnership with civil society organisations, including Dataphyte, which showcased innovative and inclusive digital governance solutions at the global gathering. The summit attracted over 1,500 participants, including senior government officials, civil society leaders and policymakers from around the world, who convened to share experiences and assess progress on open government reforms.
Receiving the OGP delegation at NITDA headquarters, the Director-General of the agency, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, described the recognition as a national achievement rather than an institutional one. He stressed that the awards reflected the collective efforts of government institutions, civil society and the private sector in advancing open governance through digital transformation.
According to Inuwa, the honours come with increased responsibility to fulfil Nigeria’s commitments under the OGP framework. He warned that failure to deliver on agreed reforms could damage the country’s credibility both locally and internationally, emphasising that implementation must be driven through collaboration rather than isolated efforts by NITDA alone.
He linked the achievement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient service delivery remain central to the administration’s priorities. Inuwa said leveraging digital technologies to strengthen openness and accountability aligns directly with national goals of improving governance outcomes and rebuilding public trust.
Highlighting the value of collaboration, the NITDA boss described the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder digital ecosystem. He called on civil society groups, development partners, the private sector and other government agencies to provide sustained technical support and guidance to ensure the effective execution of OGP commitments.
Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has commenced internal reviews of its OGP obligations and has tasked its representatives to work closely with stakeholders to develop a clear execution framework. He also proposed the creation of joint work streams with OGP partners to strengthen oversight, accountability and coordinated implementation.
He further welcomed plans to engage political leadership within the OGP structure, including briefing President Tinubu on the achievement, noting that celebrating milestones helps boost morale and underscores Nigeria’s growing global reputation in digital governance.
Earlier, the leader of the OGP delegation, Mr. Olusoji Apampa, said the awards were the product of strong collaboration between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a pivotal role, particularly in commitments aimed at improving digital governance. He expressed optimism that the recognition would further energise reform efforts and accelerate the delivery of practical digital governance outcomes across Nigeria.