The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has urged executive-level officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to support Nigeria’s transition from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), describing the shift as essential to expanding digital public services and strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure.

Inuwa made the call at the opening of an IPv6 migration readiness workshop in Abuja, organised by the NITDA in collaboration with the Nigeria IPv6 Council and the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) for executive and technical staff of MDAs. Mr Oladejo Olawumi, Director of the Agency’s Digital Development Services Department, delivered the DG’s remarks.

One stream of the training is designed to equip directors and management-level officials with an understanding of the transition and their responsibilities in supporting it, and the other is focused on building the technical capacity of personnel responsible for implementing the migration.

He explained that the management stream was intended to help senior officials understand why the transition was necessary and how they could support their technical teams. He noted that effective communication and cooperation between management and technical personnel were essential to ensuring a smooth transition across government institutions.

“It is to help you understand the process of transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 and why we need to do it. And importantly, to support the technical staff who are also being trained.  So, you need to support them when they start the migration process. If you don’t understand what you are trying to do, it might be difficult for your technical staff to move forward.

I want to congratulate you because you are the first set of this kind of training for the MDAs. Without having you on board, we cannot have a proper transition. That is why we are having this training to make sure that you have the skills and you are certified’’, he emphasised.

Inuwa said the transition became necessary owing to the growing demand for internet addresses as more devices and services connect to digital networks. As government institutions increasingly store and process data digitally, reliable networks and effective addressing systems become critical to accessing information and delivering services

IPv4, the older internet addressing system, provides approximately 4.3 billion addresses, while the increasing use of smartphones, smart televisions, security cameras, connected vehicles and other Internet of Things devices continues to drive demand. But IPv6 offers a much larger address space, providing a long-term foundation for expanding internet connectivity and digital services.

The NITDA DG linked the transition to the Federal Government’s wider digital transformation agenda, particularly efforts to make public services accessible online and strengthen Nigeria’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative. He stressed that IPv6 would support scalability, enabling agencies to expand their digital platforms as more citizens begin to use them.

According to him, MDAs seeking to improve service delivery and reduce the need for citizens to visit government offices physically, the transition to IPv6 forms part of the infrastructure needed to sustain that expansion.

Beyond institutional benefits, Inuwa urged directors and management officials to encourage their technical staff to take the training seriously, highlighting the professional opportunities that come with acquiring specialised networking skills.

Inuwa disclosed that NITDA was funding certification for participating technical personnel, who were expected to take examinations at the end of the training. He described the certification as an investment in both the capacity of government institutions and the individualcareers of the personnel involved.

The workshop features technical training alongside the Directorial/Management session, with Mohamed Rudman, chairman of the IPv6 Council of Nigeria and chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), serving as lead facilitator.

Rudman welcomed the collaboration with NITDA, describing the initiative as an important step towards encouraging IPv6 adoption among government agencies. He advised participants to engage actively with the trainers, stressing that their involvement would be crucial to preparing MDAs for the transition.

The two-stream approach underscores the need to combine management support with technical expertise to advance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami has been penciled down to lead the industry leaders/speakers to the 10th annual  Edition of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, organised by the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (NIGF MAG).

The Chair of NIGF MAG, Muhammad Rudman, who disclosed this in a statement, noted that the forum will be a hybrid experience and holds on the 14th and 15th of September, 2022.

The statement said Pantami will deliver the Keynote Address. Also, there will be a high-level panel discussion on the 2020 to 2030 Digital Economy Strategy.

Register through this link https://2022.igf.ng to participate.

The NIGF-MAG comprises stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMCDE), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Internet Society Nigeria Chapter (ISOC NG), DigitalSENSE Africa Media (DSA), in partnership with other local Internet Stakeholders.

READ ALSO: Startup Bill Will Develop Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem – DG NITDA

Other confirmed speakers for the NIGF2022 include Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi- Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta- Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Mr. Gbenga Sesan- (Founder and Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative); Samaila Atsen Bako, (Director, Communications Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN)); Mrs. Martha Omoekpen Alade, Founder and Executive Director, Women in Technology in Nigeria, amongst other distinguished.

Following the recorded success of previous years, the NIGF 2022 will be an interesting event, given the array of this year’s line up as seen on NIGF’s website on https://2022.igf.ng/home/nigf-2022-agenda/

Members of the public from the Private Sector, Government, Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organisations, Academia as well as Internet end-users are encouraged to register and attend the event live on the NIGF event website on https://2022.igf.ng and all her social media platforms (@NigeriaIGF).

Registration and attendance is free. Upon registration, participants will receive the event notifications and updates, free access to the digital edition of the event’s report and more.

The events for the 14th of September 2022 are dedicated to the Youth and Women. Whilst the main event will be held on the 15th of September 2022, when Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, will deliver the Keynote Address of the NIGF 2022.

For many Nigerians, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the importance of the Internet and digital technologies as a critical part of daily living hence, the necessity to deliberate on the theme “Advancing Digital Transformation and Trust in Nigeria” as a community of Nigeria Internet Stakeholders.

As digital transformation evolves, the focus from both the business and the policy communities are shifting from understanding the effect and impact of COVID-19 on our lives/activities to working towards an Internet that works for everyone, highlighting the rights, responsibilities and opportunities for all stakeholders, including women and the youth.

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TECHDIGEST – Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has reduced the price of .NG domain by over forty per cent (40%).

NiRA is responsible for maintaining the database of registered names in the .ng country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) namespace in the public interest of Nigeria and the global internet community.

READ ALSO : Kashifu Urges NiRA To Key Into NITDA Digital Transformation Agenda

Our findings show that .NG domain name sold between N11,000 and N13,500, depending on the registrar. However, NiRA has reduced the price to N5,500.

Domains which are registered on this domain string therefore have several benefits which include geo-targeting and the reduction of capital flight as well as contribution to the local economy.

There have been many efforts by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) managers of .ng on behalf of the Nigerian government, to continually increase access to .ng domains, for the promotion of expertise and businesses online.

NiRA partners with over seventy (70) Accredited Companies known as Registrars and conducts empowerment programs for Resellers (who are even closer to the grassroots) as ways of making these domain names more available.

In recent times, initiatives such as the capacity of domain names registered with errors, to be corrected within 24 hours at no cost to the Registrant as well as the opening of hitherto closed .ng strings such as .net.ng have greatly increased the number of businesses which can make themselves available online using a .ng domain.

Just this month, in addition to the foregoing, the Executive Board of NiRA approved the reduction in price of .ng domains at the second level, further encouraging the public to register the domains.

The Nigerian internet space went agog with this new development, with NiRA Accredited Registrars sending broadcasts to their customers stating that the price of .ng domains have now reduced.

According to the Mr. Muhammed Rudman, NiRA’s President, the reduction in price by about 40%, promotes the agenda of government towards the growth of Nigeria’s Digital Economy, superintended by Professor Isa Pantami, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

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TECHDIGEST – In an effort geared towards engaging the relevant stakeholders towards the implementation of the Strategic Road Map and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has urged the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA) to align with the Agency’s initiatives for them to fully enjoy its benefits.

Mallam Abbdullahi made this call when he received Mr Muhammed Rudman, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) and his team on a working visit to present the Association’s annual report to the Agency in Abuja.

He disclosed that NITDA, in its dynamism, has a lot of initiatives lined up for implementation and it is necessary for relevant stakeholders such as NiRA to keep up with the pace of the Agency by promptly keying into these initiatives.

“At NITDA, we are re-branding and re-calibrating ourselves with the new aspirations and realities of the digital ecosystem thereby going through so many transformations and you really need to key in and align in what we do,” Mallam Abdullahi stated.

The NITDA DG while stating that the Agency has set targets for internal stakeholders and special purpose vehicles of the Agency to re-align them with the repositioning of the Agency, urged NIRA to come on board in the implementation of some of the initiatives of the SRAP document.

“We don’t want to come up with regulations that will take over the MOU we have with you so we really need to sit down together and put you in our plans”, he noted.

With regards to a symbiotic relationship and support to NIRA, the DG disclosed the Agency’s commitment to enhancing the promotion and adoption of the association’s policy by mandating Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCO’s) and public service institutions to comply with the ‘.ng’ domain policy.

“Our Digital Transformation Technical Working Group (DTTWG) committee has written to 500 Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) on the need to comply with the ‘.ng’ policy and we have inaugurated about 100” he mentioned.

Mallam Abdullahi however sought the association’s assistance to be encouraging their customers to comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Data Protection Regulations and urged them to actively get involved in all the Agency’s events such as the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition and the Digital Nigeria.

“We need to agree on what you are going to do so that we can objectively measure and appraise your performance”, the DG concluded.

The chairman of the Association, Rudman in his presentation detailing the Association’s Annual Report highlighted some of the association’s challenges and efforts in increasing their revenue for the development of the digital ecosystem and the Nation at large.

He however gave assurance of the association’s commitment to aligning with NITDA’s strategic initiatives.

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TECH DIGEST – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) say they would put modalities in place to ensure global visibility for Nigerian companies to promote the country’s Digital Economy Agenda.

The promise was made when the President of NiRA, Mr Muhammad Rudman and the association’s management team visited NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja

The visit was in part to solicit for the Agency’s supports going forward and to also present the report of her 12th Annual General Meeting held virtually on Thursday, 30th July 2020.

Rudman informed that the Association is making effort to promote the digital economy by offering free .com.ng domain name to newly registered companies by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

“We are seeking the NITDA’s assistance for the CAC/NiRA Integration platform,” he said.

“This means automation of the system such that someone registering a company with CAC will have the option of taking a .com.ng domain name”, he further explained.

He added that the initiative would give global visibility to Nigerian companies by giving them an opportunity to have a web presence.

The NiRA President further disclosed that the Association is trying to domesticate the internet with the objective of hosting websites locally with the resultant effect of increasing the internet speed and reduction in the cost of data usage.

While addressing the visiting delegation, the Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said it is important for the Agency and the Association to be strategic partners to make a resounding impact in the IT sector.

He urged NiRA to be more innovative and improve on their activities and collaboration with NITDA.

Mallam Abdullahi encouraged the Association to not only be reporting to NITDA but to also align their activities to the various initiatives of the Agency, adding that government and private sector needs each other.

“The role of government is to create an enabling environment for you to succeed and your part is to tell the government what it is you need to succeed,” he advised.

Mallam Abdullahi maintained that as registrars they needed to know who owns the company they are registering and urged NiRA to come up with a Know Your Customer (KYC) Policy in other to assist themselves and the security agencies in case of eventualities.

During the visit, NiRA also submitted to NITDA its annual report and presented it future plans to the Agency, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations.

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