Clearing the path to Nigeria’s Digital Future with NITDA
By Fatimah Yusuf Usman,
When over half of federal government IT projects fail, it is not merely a statistic—it is a clarion call for reform. In April 2025, NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, revealed that 56 percent of IT initiatives in Nigeria’s Federal Public Institutions stall or underdeliver, largely because Ministries, Departments, and Agencies often bypass mandatory clearance procedures.
With the launch of its updated IT Project Clearance Guidance Document, NITDA has taken a decisive step toward safeguarding public funds and ensuring that every naira spent aligns with the nation’s digital-economy ambitions.
Yet, this victory is only the opening salvo in a much larger battle. To ensure a truly transformative digital ecosystem, Nigeria must expand the clearance regime to all tiers of government, embrace cutting-edge technologies for oversight, and reinforce accountability at every stage of project delivery.
The updated guidance framework—hailed by the Bureau of Public Procurement’s DG, Adebowale Adedokun, for standardizing bidding documents and closing “intangible” loopholes—has already saved the Treasury over ₦300 billion since its 2018 inception. But these reforms remain largely confined to the federal level.
Local governments and state-owned agencies continue to pilot critical IT systems—ranging from property tax portals to health-management software—outside any formal clearance mechanism.
Imagine a Kaduna State health information system that crashes on day one, or a school-feeding logistics platform in Lagos that never fully rolls out. Extending NITDA’s clearance process nationwide—not by bureaucratic fiat but through collaborative legislation—would ensure that every government IT project, no matter how local, undergoes rigorous feasibility, design, and procurement checks. Such consistency would reduce duplication, prevent waste, and build public trust in e-government services.
The world is not waiting for Nigeria to perfect its paper-based processes; technology itself offers powerful tools to enhance project clearance:
– AI-Driven Risk Assessment: By analyzing historical project data, machine learning algorithms can flag high-risk proposals before they reach the tender stage, allowing NITDA and procurement bodies to demand more robust technical specifications or governance plans.
– Blockchain for Transparency: Recording each clearance milestone—design approval, procurement sign-off, quality assurance—on an immutable ledger would make the entire process auditable in real time, eliminating opportunities for backdoor shortcuts.
– Automated Compliance Dashboards: Interactive portals that visualize project health metrics (budget variance, schedule adherence, stakeholder feedback) would keep agencies, oversight bodies, and the public informed throughout a project’s lifecycle.
Malam Kashifu Inuwa has often highlighted the need for innovation to be supported by innovation. Integrating these technologies into NITDA’s guidance would not only modernize clearance but also signal that Nigeria is serious about leading Africa’s digital transformation.
The revised directive is highly commendable, as it strengthens NITDA’s core strategic pillars—digital inclusion, innovation and entrepreneurship, data protection and privacy, capacity building, research and development, e-governance, and regulatory development—by fostering greater equity and transparency in public-sector IT engagements. Adebowale Adedokun’s commendation of the standardized bidding templates is well-placed, as they significantly reduce opportunities for corruption. Yet, gaps remain:
1. After-the-Fact Audits: While the Auditor-General has committed to auditing cleared projects, the guidelines should mandate post-implementation reviews and sanctions for non-compliance—without which clearance becomes a pro forma exercise.
2. Capacity Building at the Grassroots: Many state-level procurement officers lack the technical expertise to evaluate complex IT bids. NITDA must partner with bodies like the National Universities Commission to embed IT-procurement modules in curricula and offer targeted fellowships.
3. Public Engagement: Citizens must see and understand the benefits of clearance. Regular public dashboards and town-hall briefings on major projects would turn passive observers into active stakeholders.
Every naira saved, every system delivered on time, every citizen service that works reliably—these are the building blocks of Nigeria’s digital-economy vision. From e-courts and land registries to e-tax and health-information systems, the citizen experience hinges on robust project governance. By embedding its clearance framework across all government layers, adopting AI and blockchain, and strengthening accountability, NITDA can move from regulator to architect of a truly inclusive digital state.
Policymakers should champion amendments to the Public Procurement Act, extending mandatory clearance to states and local governments. NITDA must pilot AI-driven risk tools and blockchain-backed procurement ledgers. Civil society organizations and the media ought to spotlight both successes and failures, keeping oversight in the public eye.
The updated IT Project Clearance Guidance Document is a milestone—proof that good policy, when executed, pays dividends. But Nigeria’s journey to the frontlines of the digital world requires sustained momentum, bold technological experiments, and unwavering accountability. Let us seize this moment—not only to clear projects but to clear the path toward a digitally empowered nation.
Fatimah Yusuf Usman writes from PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. She can be reached via: [email protected].
