The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, has urged African countries to move beyond consuming imported technologies and become global creators of digital solutions.
Represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships at NITDA, Inuwa delivered the message at the African Creators Conference 2025 in Abuja, where he emphasised Africa’s potential in the global digital economy.
“Our innovators and creators should take their rightful place as global leaders and solution providers,” he said, noting that Africa’s youthful and digitally fluent population is uniquely positioned to shape the future of innovation.
He highlighted Nigeria’s progress through initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent programme, the Nigeria Startup Act, and NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0, designed to reposition the country as a producer and exporter of digital solutions.
Inuwa also called for stronger regional collaboration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock the continent’s digital economy.
“The choices we make today will determine whether Africa remains on the margins or takes its rightful place at the centre of global digital transformation,” he concluded.
The conference brought together more than 3,000 creators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore how digital creativity and AI can fuel Africa’s economic growth.
