The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has underscored the critical role of data in driving a sustainable digital economy. At the just concluded 2024 Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge, the agency emphasised the need for safe and responsible data utilisation.

NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, who was represented by the Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions Department, Mr Oladejo Olawumi, highlighted the importance of data sovereignty in ensuring Nigeria’s digital future. By prioritising data security and privacy, the agency aims to foster a thriving digital ecosystem that benefits both individuals and businesses.

The Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge, organised by NITDA’s Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), showcased the talent and innovation of Nigerian tech entrepreneurs. The event further reinforced the agency’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant digital community and empowering the next generation of tech leaders.

While stating that the event aligns with the agency’s pillars of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, Inuwa mentioned that the event underscores NITDA’s vision to position Nigeria as a leader in the global digital economy, creating opportunities for innovators to thrive in an ever-changing technological landscape.

“The issue of having something home-grown is very important because when it comes to data, you would realize that Data is the currency of the digital economy. It is what is driving us now and everything is all about data,” he added.

Speaking of the relevance of the event which speaks to pillars; Robust Technological Research Ecosystem, Foster Digital Literacy and Cultivate Talents, Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, and Promote Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services of the SRAP document, he urged the participants to take advantage of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) in promoting their solutions.

“The Nigeria Startup Act enables you to get proper funding to develop what you want to do, and it allows you to meet with angel investors to see how you can be encouraged and bring what you are ideating to the limelight,” he noted.

While stating the agency’s commitment to ensuring that Indigenous digital innovation thrives, Inuwa disclosed that “Innovation Nests” will be created by the agency in 3 states with plans to expand to 6 more by the end of year and stated that the nests are designed to inspire creativity, featuring facilities for work, leisure, and networking with investors.

“These centres will be world-class, offering spaces to relax, collaborate, and attract global investment,” Inuwa explained.

“Whether you win today or not, this platform is a step towards achieving your dreams. Nigeria has the talent, and NITDA is here to ensure that talent is nurtured and celebrated,” he concluded.

Earlier in her opening remark, the National Coordinator of the ONDI, Ms Victoria Fabunmi stated that the event was designed to spotlight groundbreaking ideas and foster collaboration in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.

While emphasising the agency’s commitment to advancing digital innovations through strategic initiatives, she averred that the innovation challenge aligns with the agency’s SRAP and fulfilling the Ministry’s blueprint pillars of Knowledge, Innovation, and Policy.

“Participants have an opportunity to showcase their ingenious ideas, as they have spent months looking through infrastructure across the country and helping us to identify areas for opportunity as well as areas for strengthening our innovation ecosystem”, she stated.

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In a world characterised by rapid technological evolution and ever-increasing global interconnectedness, initiatives that leverage innovation to drive economic growth and societal progress are more critical than ever. Across continents, governments, private organisations and individuals have embraced digital technologies to connect, collaborate, and innovate like never before.

Countries around the world have recognised the transformative potential of digital innovation and have embarked on ambitious initiatives to harness its power for driving economic growth and societal transformation.

Advanced economies such as the United States, Japan, and those in Western Europe view digitalisation as synonymous with economic competitiveness and innovation leadership. These countries boast of vibrant ecosystems of tech startups, world-class research institutions, and supportive regulatory frameworks that foster entrepreneurship and technological progress.

In Nigeria, one such initiative is the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA’s) Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), designed to spearhead Nigeria’s digital journey in the next four years (2024-2027)
SRAP 2.0 emerged as a ‘Renewed Hope’ for Nigerians, promising to transform economies through technological innovation while aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s redefined priorities, one of which is ‘Accelerate diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing & innovation.’

Through President Tinubu’s Eight Priority Areas, Nigeria can see a vision for the future, one anchored in the principles of inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The Renewed Hope Agenda represents a comprehensive roadmap for realising this vision, outlining strategic priorities and policy measures aimed at unleashing the full potential of the nation’s economy and its people.

Central to President Tinubu’s agenda is the recognition of technology as a catalyst for economic transformation and social progress. In this context, SRAP 2.0 emerged as a natural ally, embodying a commitment to harnessing the power of innovation to address pressing societal challenges and unlock new opportunities for growth and prosperity.

SRAP 2.0 also aligned with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s strategic objectives, to ensure that all its initiatives significantly contribute to Nigeria’s broader digital economy strategy. This alignment shows how SRAP 2.0 document is seamlessly integrated with the Ministry’s strategic pillars: Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Capital, and Trade.

The document not only embodies NITDA’s strategic goals but also reflects a synchronised effort with the Ministry’s vision, driving towards a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous digital Nigeria.

At its core, SRAP 2.0 represents a collaborative endeavour involving governments, corporations, and academic institutions, united by a shared commitment to driving innovation-led economic development.

NITDA acknowledges the profound impact of the rapid global digital transformation on economies and societies worldwide. In an era defined by unprecedented technological advancements, emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are reshaping the economic and social life at an unprecedented pace.

The Agency recognises the importance for Nigeria to not only adapt to these changes but to proactively position itself as a leader in digital literacy and tech talent development, ensuring that Nigerians are well-equipped to thrive in the digital era.

Moreover, SRAP 2.0 places a strong emphasis on inclusivity and equitable access to the benefits of technological progress. Initiatives to promote diversity in STEM fields, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and bridge the digital divide are integral components of the document, ensuring that all segments of society can participate in and benefit from the innovation-driven economy of the future.

SRAP 2.0 pillars namely: Foster Digital Literacy and Cultivate Talents; Build a Robust Technology Research Ecosystem; Strengthen Policy Implementation and Legal Framework; Promote Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services; Strengthen Cybersecurity and Enhance Digital Trust; Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; Forge Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration; and Cultivate a Vibrant Organisational Culture and an Agile Workforce in NITDA are crafted to build a more resilient, inclusive, and prosperous economy for generations to come.

Firstly, Foster Digital Literacy and Cultivate Talents will undoubtedly empower Nigerians with the knowledge and skills needed towards achieving a 70% digital literacy level by 2027 through the implementation of the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), and enhancing broad access to digital education. It will also support the implementation of the 3 Million Tech Talents (3MTT) training initiative to prepare Nigerian youth for global digital opportunities, aimed at bridging the international technology talent gap.

Secondly,  Robust Technology Research Ecosystem provides a fertile ground for innovation to flourish. By supporting research institutions, universities, and technology hubs, the country will have an environment conducive to breakthrough discoveries and technological advancements. This can lead to the development of new products, services, and solutions that address pressing challenges and open up new opportunities for economic growth and competitiveness.

Thirdly, Strengthen Policy Implementation and Legal Framework provides clarity and certainty for businesses, investors, and innovators operating in the technology sector. Clear and consistent regulations help foster trust and confidence in the market, encouraging investment and innovation. Through collaborative policy implementation, Nigeria is set to create a regulatory environment that promotes innovation while safeguarding against potential risks and abuses.

Fourthly, Nigeria, like many other countries, faces a significant digital divide, with disparities in access to digital infrastructure and services between urban and rural areas, as well as among different socio-economic groups. Promoting Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services will bridge this gap, and ensure that all citizens have equitable access to essential digital resources and opportunities.

It sets to deploy of blockchain solutions in MDAs to foster transparency and efficiency in governance, achieve 40% women digital inclusion, establishment of digital learning centres and innovation hubs nationwide, promote 4th Industrial Revolution technology solutions and talents into agriculture to boost food security, improve agriculture’s contribution to GDP, and drive economic diversification, and creation of technology development zones by 2027.

Fifthly, Strengthening Cybersecurity and Enhancing Digital Trust will help safeguard Nigeria’s critical infrastructure. Enhanced cybersecurity capabilities will help the country combat cybercrime effectively, including online fraud, identity theft, phishing scams, and cyberattacks targeting individuals, businesses, and government institutions.

The sixth pillar, Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem encourages creativity and problem-solving. It will nurture a culture of innovation through supportive policies, funding opportunities, and collaboration spaces. It will inspire entrepreneurs, researchers, and inventors to develop novel solutions to complex challenges in various sectors, and attract investment to diversify the economy.

It is pivotal for advancing Nigeria’s socio-economic development and global competitiveness. Innovation and entrepreneurship are the engines of growth, driving competitiveness and economic diversification. This strategic pillar aims to transform Nigeria into a hub for IT products and services, enhancing ICT’s contribution to the GDP and fostering a dynamic ecosystem that propels economic growth.

The Seventh pillar, Forge Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration is instrumental in advancing Nigeria’s digital economy by leveraging the strengths and expertise of diverse stakeholders. Strategic partnerships will help the country to tap into the resources of international organisations, multinational corporations, and research institutions.

The Agency intends to actively participate in six global platforms for policy discussions and talent exposure, showcasing Nigeria’s tech advancements and policy frameworks by 2027. It aims to enhance partnerships and community engagement by 150% by 2027, fostering an ecosystem conducive to innovation and inclusive development.

Lastly, Cultivating a Vibrant Organisational Culture and Nurturing an Agile Workforce are paramount to NITDA’s pursuit of organisational excellence. This pillar underscores the importance of fostering an environment that encourages learning, psychological safety, and adaptability, ensuring that the workforce is prepared to meet the dynamic challenges of the digital age.

NITDA’s commitment to a learning and psychologically safe environment sets it apart, enabling it to attract and retain top talent while fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation. This approach not only enhances employee engagement and productivity but also positions NITDA as a leader in organisational culture within the public sector.

However, the success of NITDA’s strategic roadmap will depend on effective implementation, stakeholder collaboration, and sustained political will as demonstrated by President Tinubu. As Nigeria embarks on this ambitious journey towards economic diversification, it is important that all stakeholders remain committed to realising the vision of a modern, resilient, and innovation-driven economy.

Mubarak Umar writes from Abuja

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As the world shift from certificate to skill acquisition, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE has advised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) the administrator of the student loan initiative programme of the current administration to consider accommodating Nigerians who want to enroll in short courses that will equip them with digital skills.

Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, who made this known in Abuja while receiving a delegation from NELFUND led by the Executive Secretary Mr Akintunde Sawyer said this will empower citizens with high-in-demand global skills that will position Nigeria as a hotspot for brain export.

The purpose of the meeting was to learn, collaborate, and present a demo of the NELFUND Portal to NITDA for input.
He stated that because no one succeeds in isolation, it is important to take into cognisance., the role of the five critical stakeholders of the ecosystem and synergise with them.

He mentioned that these stakeholders include, higher institutions of learning, corporate organisations, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and the government.

He said, “Higher institutions of learning produce the human capital, so they need to be worked with closely because they need to understand the skills in demand; corporate organisations absorb the human capital by employing them or buying products from entrepreneurs, so if there is a gap between the institution and corporate organisation, it will be difficult to place graduates on jobs as most of our graduates cannot fit into the private sector unless undergoing these short courses.”

While acknowledging that NITDA is working with the Federal Ministry of Education to review the curriculum of tertiary institutions to meet, Inuwa said, “For Entrepreneurs, they could be students, dropouts, or anybody who has an idea that meets a need and that students should be trained with the mindset that they are acquiring certificates to create jobs and not just to seek white-collar jobs.”

He stated that venture capitalists should be encouraged to invest, as Nigeria’s technology ecosystem attracts more than 30 percent of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He said, “70 per cent of that investment comes from the United States while we have Nigerians who have money; that is why we are trying to set up the seed funding for startups that will encourage indigenous venture capitalists.”

The NITDA boss commended the work put into the development of the NELFUND portal as he said the portal should be made mobile friendly as there are many people that will access the portal through their mobile phones.

He further stated, “We can organise a user acceptance test to check vulnerability to ensure that it is okay. I also want to advise that you carryout the Data Protection Compliance Test to ensure you are complying with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR).”

Kashifu assured NELFUND of the Agency’s commitment to giving them all the necessary support as their interest aligns with NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0).

The Executive Secretary of NELFUND Mr Sawyer said, the initiative intends to connect as many Nigerians as possible to the fund in order to obtain tertiary education and pay back after their one year mandatory National Youth Service programme.

He said, “Our mission is to strive to revolutionise higher education accessibility in Nigeria by providing interest-free loans to eligible students. We want to help as many people as possible get to the next level as it will benefit the individual, institutions, and the nation at large.”

The ES said they have come to be challenged by NITDA in other to do better, collaborate, and learn from the Agency.

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In the stride towards continuous engagement and inclusivity, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, emphasized the pivotal role of collaboration with stakeholders in the technology ecosystem to achieve a resilience and prosperous digital transformation for Nigeria by unveiling the NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0.

The Director General made these affirmations at the Omniverse Summit, held at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.

Inuwa highlighted the necessity of shared goals, resources, and knowledge to make a lasting impact on Nigeria’s digital future.

“Our vision for Nigeria is to digitally empower the nation by thriving on innovation and fostering inclusive economic growth through technology,” Inuwa stated.

While discussing the pillars in the Strategic Road-map and Action Plan (2024-2027) SRAP 2.0, Inuwa stressed the importance of collaboration among the stakeholders.

According to the NITDA Director-General, the road-map focuses on eight strategic pillars, targeted at accelerating digital transformation of all critical sectors of the economy as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He maintained that all the pillars in the SRAP 2.0 resonate with the strategic pillars of Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy blueprint tagged “Accelerating our Collective Prosperity through Technical Efficiency” which are Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Innovation, entrepreneurship, and Capital, and Trade.

He revealed that the first pillar, fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent has an ambitious goal of achieving 70% digital literacy by 2027 through the implementation of National Digital Literacy Framework as well as developing technical talents which is being implemented through one of the Ministry’s initiatives “the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT)”, designed to address the impending global talent deficit and position Nigeria as a leader in technological expertise.

Inuwa noted that the second pillar is to build a robust technology research system, aimed at putting Nigeria’s at the 25 percentile in global ranking in research in six key areas of AI, IoT, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, blockchain and UAVs.

The third pillar emphasises the need to strengthen policy implementation and legal framework, with all ecosystem stakeholders contributing to achieving national goals.

He said, “Promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services forms the fourth pillar which aims at connecting the unconnected by investing in learning centers and innovation hubs across the country.”

“Strengthening Cybersecurity and enhancing digital trust is the fifth pillar. This addresses the importance of instilling confidence in digital platforms for its users,” he said.

He identified the sixth pillar as focusing on plans to nurture an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem, which will promote synergy in industry and an enabling platform for digital transformation.

“While the seventh pillar is to forge strategic partnerships, and collaborations with external stakeholders as evident with the active partnership NITDA is building with the Omniverse platform, the eight and last pillar of the SRAP is directed to cultivate a vibrant organizational culture and agile workforce within NITDA he added.

“We believe that by working together, we can transform Nigeria into a global digital powerhouse,” Inuwa declared. He subsequently invited stakeholders to download the soft copy of the road-map, providing a QR code for easy access, and encouraged feedback to refine the document for collective success.

Inuwa assured the commitment of the government to create enabling policies for citizens to thrive. According to him, “The aim is to position Nigeria among the top 25 in artificial intelligence, IoT, UAV, robotics, Blockchain, and additive manufacturing, propelling the nation into a prominent role in the global digital economy.”

The Omniverse Summit is targeted at driving the digital economy on the continent. The summit explores the narratives about the Africa and Africans, with a focus on how to regain control of these narratives to re-frame the future of our economies, societies, and geopolitics.

The convener of the Omniverse Summit Obi Asika along with his team members, Charles Emembolu, Dr. Thwueba and Isioma Udeozo stated passionately during a panel session tagged “Why Omniverse? Explained that the Omniverse is a collaborative platform, which is designed to bring people together.

They mentioned that one of the core objectives of the program was to bring different segments of the ecosystem like the academia, tech, startups, gaming people, music industry, film industry, television industry, the arts and arts culture among others together.

In their submission, they noted that the move is towards creating a platform for anyone to have a clear understanding into what is happening in Nigeria, Africa, and the world.

The US Consul General, Mr. Will Stevens in his address affirmed that the dynamic digital innovation ecosystem in Nigeria has led to the creation of this crucial platform, emphasizing the nation’s role as Africa’s largest economy and democracy.

Mr. Williams stressed a paradigm shift in collaboration, moving from discussing what can be done for Africa to what can be achieved together. He added that the focus is to ensuring African nations have a significant voice in global policy discussions, particularly addressing shared challenges like climate change, food insecurity, and global pandemics.

He called for a permanent African representation in the UN Security Council underlines the need for African solutions to global problems, emphasizing collaboration on a worldwide scale.

He noted that Nigeria, as a key player in driving innovation, faces challenges such as safeguarding intellectual property and addressing exchange rate risks noting that, “the partnership between the U.S. and African tech startups is substantial, with around 60% of venture capital in Nigeria originating from the United States.”

“However, there is an expressed need to protect intellectual property locally and create laws to support startups, ensuring innovators can safeguard their creations within the country. The imperative is to foster collaboration that goes beyond geographical boundaries and promotes a collective effort to tackle shared global challenges,” he concluded.

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TECHDIGEST – The director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi presenting NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan to the founder of SI Group of Social Enterprise, Khadijah Abdullahi Iya when the former paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is set to collaborate with the SI Group & Beyond Mentors on various aspects of digitisation, particularly focusing on youth and information and communications technology (ICT).

This partnership aims to address the IT talent gap in Nigeria, develop standards to balance supply and demand, as well as create strategic partnerships to enhance capacity-building and skills development in the public and private sectors.

During a courtesy visit by the SI Group & Beyond Mentors Team to NITDA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, the director-general of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, expressed the agency’s readiness to work together on critical areas of digitisation. Abdullahi emphasised the importance of making data available online to avoid the risk of cultures, values and identities being forgotten. He also highlighted the need to train Nigerian youths in animation and visual arts to create characters that reflect African thoughts and views.

In discussing NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) for 2021-2024, Abdullahi mentioned initiatives such as the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Scheme, which supports startups from the conceptualisation of ideas to commercialisation. He also emphasised the agency’s principle of co-creation and its commitment to building a strong ecosystem. In 2022, NITDA trained over 600 Nigerians across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

READ ALSO:NITDA Partners GAGE Company for Co-Create Africa Tech Expo

Abdullahi emphasised the importance of collaboration and welcomed key collaborators to co-create and build the desired ecosystem. He acknowledged the need for mentorship and skills development to commercialise innovative products. The collaboration with SI Group and Beyond Mentors aims to leverage their networks, experience, and expertise to implement NITDA projects and explore untapped areas for partnership.

The founder of SI Group of Social Enterprise, Khadijah Abdullahi Iya expressed the purpose of the courtesy call, which was to familiarise NITDA with the work of the SI Group and Beyond Mentors. The visit aimed to identify shared values, explore partnership opportunities, and leverage the group’s networks and expertise to support NITDA’s objectives. Iya shared the success stories of the group and expressed optimism about the partnership’s potential to achieve common goals.

The collaboration between NITDA and SI Group & Beyond Mentors is a significant step towards bridging the IT talent gap in Nigeria and advancing digitisation efforts. By combining their resources, expertise and networks, they aim to enhance capacity building, skills development and the overall digital transformation in the country. This partnership aligns with NITDA’s commitment to collaboration and creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.

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TECHDIGEST – The National Commissioner/CEO of Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, recently expressed his excitement about the signing of the Nigeria Data Protection Act into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He reiterated that the success of data protection and privacy regulation in the country will be facilitated through the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission ( NDPC). He made the statements at the National Validation workshop recently organised by Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

The event, which took place recently in Abuja, was chaired by Dr. William Alo, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, who declared the workshop open.

The National Commissioner reiterated the capability of the law to create over 500,000 jobs in Nigeria as part of the fulfillment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign promise of creating One Million.

Mr. Segun Olugbile, who is the National Coordinator of NACCIMA Digital Economy Trade Group, representing the private sector, and is the chair of the sub-committee workgroup on the SRAP Committee, presented a session on the governance and technology ecosystem components of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan.

Mr. Segun stated that these components will fastrack strategic direction and navigation toward achieving national and inclusive data protection and privacy regulation objectives.

He further stated that the expected outcomes of SRAP will help harmonise national data privacy governance and protection regulatory framework; create a sustainable mechanism for an independent and effective supervisory authority; increased public trust; open up opportunities for growth within the data protection ecosystem for Nigerian businesses, enhanced private sector investment in the requisite infrastructure, among others.

READ ALSO:Tinubu, Osinbajo, 30 million others join Threads App

Mr. Olugbile also elaborates on the objectives of the pillar, which include strengthening regulatory conformance to national data privacy and protection imperatives; establishment of an independent NDPC with solid oversight, investigative, enforcement, corrective, and authorization powers and adequate resources to discharge its responsibilities; collaboration to encourage disruptive innovations and provide guidelines for ensuring compliance with data protection legislation; encourage hosting of data within the country; collaboration with research institution on breakthrough innovations in data privacy and protection; among others.

He served as one of the expert reviewers of the draft Nigeria Data Protection Bill representing the private sector, where he provided strategic technology policy and regulatory insights that led to the enhancement of the Bill under the auspices of the National Data Protection Commission, Ministry of Justice, National Identity Management Commission, and the World Bank ID4D project office in Nigeria.

He is an expert in cybersecurity governance, internet governance, data protection and privacy, and emerging technology for development, and the United Nations, Germany government, G-7, African Union, and ECOWAS have globally recognized his various works and professional contributions.

Recently, he was invited by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to help shape Africa’s contributions to the United Nations Global Digital Compact in South Africa. Olugbile pioneered the formulation of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy. He has served as a pioneer member of the national cybercrime advisory council and member of the Global Skills Development Council Technical Advisory Board on Cybersecurity. He also formerly served as United Nations Internet Governance Advisor, where he was honored as Internet Governance Ambassador for Nigeria and co-founder of Nigeria Internet Governance Forum.

Other dignitaries which include the Director General (DG), National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila, DG, National IT Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, DG, NIMC, Aliyu A. Aziz, National Coordinator, Would ID4D project office in Nigeria, Musa Odole Solomon, and Chairman of the SRAP, Mr. Hakeem Ajijola.

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TECHDIGEST – In a bid to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Thursday launched the 4th Edition of its Service Charter and the iServe Emblem, which is in line with the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024.

Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE while launching the Charter and the Emblem, stressed that there is a need to efficiently align with the objectives of NDEPS and SRAP to make the Agency a high-velocity organisation with excellent service delivery culture to the public.While recalling NITDA’s holistic transformation in the last three years, Inuwa stated that a lot have been achieved in line with the vision, mission and core values of the Agency.

He said that, the NITDA Service Charter and iServe Emblem are to resolve the contemporary issues and change the way things are being done for the advancement of the nation’s digital economy.

“If we want to satisfy our customers, we need to innovate and find new ways to deliver our services. If we continue to do things the same way, we will never be able to meet their expectations.”

“We strive to meet the highest standards of customer service, which means meeting our customers’ expectations and earning their loyalty, and we are always looking for ways to improve to meet the standard of the US and UK.”

“We always use the well-known and globally standard frameworks, We adopt and adapt them, tailor them to our situation, not just copy something from somewhere and say we use it here, as a way of professionalism,” he added.While making her remark, the National Coordinator of SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli acknowledged the various milestones and relentless efforts of the Agency towards the success of SERVICOM. She urged the Agency to do more in delivering services to the citizens.

She stated that SERVICOM, an initiative of the Federal Government conceived to promote effective and efficient service delivery in MDAs, is to ensure customer satisfaction and manage the performance-expectation gap between Government and citizens.

Additionally, she said, SERVICOM is the Customer Arm of the Government that seeks to provide solutions to service delivery gaps in the public sector, focusing on the quality of contact between service providers and Service customers.

Akajemeli encourages the Agency, through its SERVICOM Committee to foster collaboration among both internal (Internal Departments and Units) and national (States & Zonal Offices) SERVICOM Committees towards ensuring more citizen-focused service delivery across the country.“SERVICOM Office believes that if the service standards stated in the Charter are implemented, monitored and performance is reported, the Agency would be repositioned to function optimally thereby ensuring that all customers are served right, which requires the commitment of all of us from the front desk to top Management staff, to ensure that quality service is provided for the benefit of all citizens at all times.

The Head SERVICOM Unit at NITDA, Mrs. Tariundu Ndoni appreciated the Director General and management of the Agency for the opportunity to contribute towards services delivery to the public.

She said iServe is an innovative effort to institutionalise excellent service delivery culture within Agency and demonstrates how NITDA, as an organisation, can transform itself to better serve customers and meet stakeholder expectations for digital technology.

Ndoni further stated that the iServe slogan “We exist to serve” is aimed at ensuring that the Agency continue to put people first, and adhere to the overarching framework.

While elaborating the iServe Slogan, Ndoni said “We means – we are part of the Public Service working collaboratively with interested partners; and Exist – the Agency was established and continues to exist as the regulator for the IT sector needs of government, while To Serve – our customers, all citizens with an excellent service.

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TECH DIGEST- The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young people by utilising tech skills and fostering an environment that will allow them to reach their full potential and support the country’s digital economy.

Director General of NITDA Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stated that the agency’s main priorities are “youth, skill-building, and employability” in light of the world’s rising inflation and unemployment rates. The Global Entrepreneurship Network’s Youth Entrepreneurship Dialogue (YED) Global Entrepreneurship Week, 2022, featured Abdullahi’s keynote speech on “Problems, Possibilities, and Potentials of Nigerian Youths.”

The head of NITDA, who is also a youth, praised Nigerian youngsters for their perseverance, passion, and use of technology in their numerous entrepreneurship endeavors for the growth of Nigeria’s economy.

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“Nigeria’s entrepreneurship dexterity is evidenced by the fact that Nigerian entrepreneurs, particularly the youth, continued to deliver on innovation and promote inclusion, resulting in positive socio-economic impact and economic progress,” he said. Indeed, business owners are and always will be the foundation of the Nigerian economy.

He pledged that the Federal Government would provide the necessary infrastructure, policies, and initiatives to create an environment that would encourage young Nigerians to make their impressive entrepreneurial strides.

According to Abdullahi, NITDA is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship and Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) in the nation. He also noted that the agency created its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) with a number of initiatives implemented in collaboration with stakeholders to bring the country in line with the best international practices.
In his own words: “Through strategic programs, NITDA has continued to train and equip young, innovative Nigerians aspiring to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. We have been committed to fostering youth entrepreneurship since the beginning.”

The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support (TIES) programme, the Idea Hatch (iHatch) incubation programme in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Bridge to MassChallenge (B2MC) are just a few of the numerous initiatives adopted and deployed by the agency in support of entrepreneurship and the creation of more IDEs, the NITDA boss said, highlighting some of these initiatives.
The newly signed Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB), which is now known as the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA), was “actualized in legislation by President Muhammadu Buhari in partnership with the Office of the Vice President,” according to NITDA.

He cited the NSA as one of the current government’s landmark accomplishments and urged young people to fully utilize the initiative, saying that the Act would give them limitless opportunities to take advantage of the Act’s innumerable advantages. “The youths, their talents, potentials, skills and capacities should be healthily and sufficiently channeled to the growth of the society. As a nation blessed with young and talented youths, Nigeria can attain economic independence, economic sustainability, and economic invulnerability, through enterprising our developed talents and potentials”, he said.

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By Iklima Musa

TECHDIGEST – Nothing offers a more reliable picture of a country’s economic performance better than a periodic assessment of sectoral contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It’s no less so in Nigeria where a report by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that Nigeria’s Information and Communications sector contributed 18.44 percent to the GDP in the second quarter of 2022. The figure was an improvement from the 15 percent performance recorded in the last quarter of 2021.

Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA Director-General: “Globally, there is a shortage of talents, so, we are creating a mandate to develop a talent strategy because we have a competitive advantage as a country with our vast human and natural resources. Nigeria can seize the opportunity to fill that gap” 

A little context will help put the significance of this growth in real perspective. The NBS data shows that the country’s Information and Communications sector’s contribution trumped the figures recorded by sectoral powerhouses such as Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Real Estate, and Financial and Insurance. The plaudits – or a huge part thereof – for that sterling performance should go to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, its helmsman Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and its steerer, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

NITDA, as the Federal Government Agency responsible for the development of the Information Technology sector in Nigeria, it is one of the seven agencies under the Ministry of Communications Technology and Digital Economy.

NITDA’s impressive scorecard could be glimpsed also in how quickly it has been able to develop strategies, to help grow the Nigeria information technology ecosystem in a COVID and emerging post-COVID era. Under its dynamic and innovation-driven Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, so much has been achieved by the Agency in a short span of three years.

The NITDA Director-General, who recently marked three years in office, has gradually realigned and re-positioned the Agency, aiming to grow its capacity to respond adequately to the changing conditions and complexities of a digital economy in a fast-evolving global and local digital market.

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Milestones achieved under the leadership of Inuwa have been multi-faceted and stand out as bold testaments of his commitment to innovation. Inuwa’s vision for NITDA in the medium term is encapsulated in a robust and bold policy framework – the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP, 2021 – 2024), which was launched last year.

SRAP is designed to support the even broader, National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) enunciated by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

The many achievements recorded so far belie the fact that NITDA has implemented SRAP for just one year, a development that Inuwa recalls with an understandable pride: “The first year of implementing the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (2021 – 2024) has been one of deep learning, overcoming challenges and celebrating amazing breakthroughs. Along the way we got conferred with the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award, in recognition of our productivity, hard work and excellence in service delivery.”

In June 2021, the Agency started operating the National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) with the Key Generation and Handover Ceremony for Root Certification Authority (RCA) for Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) and Country Verification Certification Authority (CVCA) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The NITDA Director-General remains upbeat about its prospects: “This unprecedented cybersecurity landmark (NDEPS Pillar 6) will not only close loopholes in online activity but significantly reduce system vulnerabilities that are exploitable by threat actors.” That was undoubtedly a milestone achievement for Nigeria’s digital space.

To further close out loopholes in online activity and generate proper accreditation of professionals, the Agency intends to implement seven cybersecurity interventions that are focused on the PKI.

A key component of this creative platform is that, it will coordinate the management of the Country Object Identifier (OID), and upgrade the PKI authentication infrastructure, create a PKI Audit requirement for Microsoft onboarding on operating systems, and integrate PKI with major hardware/software vendors. “We will then construct, furnish, and equip two National Cybersecurity Research Centers,” Inuwa says.

With regard to the expected outcome, Inuwa, reputedly Nigeria’s first Cisco-Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) public servant, says: “Digitalisation of Government processes facilitates transparency, efficiency, productivity, participation, inclusiveness, cost savings, and competitive advantage, which ultimately translates to social and economic development for a country like Nigeria.”

He also estimates that the “implementation of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) can save Nigeria N4.5bn annually”. For a government determined to curb corruption and cut costs, this is quite significant. Some of NITDA’s action plans in the area of regulation and framework development, which are already in the works, include fostering Gender Digital Inclusion, enthroning a seamless e-Commerce environment and enhancing government digital services.

“In 2022, we are developing the Framework on Gender Digital Inclusion (GDI), with the aim of codifying learning standards for different categories of IT learners, while addressing the wide gender disparities in digital literacy and skill acquisition,” he said.

He is optimistic that the Guidelines for e-Commerce in Nigeria will provide an enabling framework for e-commerce to thrive and increase online trade’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. Just as crucial, he noted, is the planned development of the “Framework and Regulations for Implementing Government Digital Services (GDS) as a Guideline for Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) to deliver digital services and the Framework for Implementation and Compliance with relevant regulations to ensure compliance with all developmental regulatory instruments such as the NDPR, Cloud Computing, outsourcing, among others”.

To some, these goals may seem rather grandiose. But Inuwa possesses a tapestry of experience as an IT professional, having worked, and indeed excelled, in highly challenging environments, among which are the Central Bank of Nigeria and Galaxy Backbone Limited. This imbues him with a capacity to sufficiently address current developments and discern the dynamic trends and markets in the IT sector. His deep knowledge of IT trends reflects in the remarkable way he has steered the Agency to address the likely challenges of tomorrow’s digital environment.

Under Inuwa, NITDA has issued 966 digital tools and supported the development of digital transformation plans in accordance with NDEPS Pillar 5 in 3 states. “These digital tools and expert guide, which are part of our initiative to develop a framework and implementation toolkits for measuring the impact of digital technology deployment in FPIs are already enabling institutions to embark on digital transformation self-assessments,” he said, regarding the feat.

When Inuwa assumed office as NITDA’s Director General in mid-2019, the global Covid-19 pandemic which led to the lockdown of several cities worldwide, including Nigeria, was only a few months away. When it hit the country in February 2020, prompting a government-ordered lockdown in April 2020 which lasted for several months, the Agency initiated and adopted several remote and contactless digital technologies that ensured government machinery kept working throughout the critical period. Inuwa set up a team called Tech4Covid to cushion the effects of Covid-19. This led to the identification of three innovations that helped curb Covid-19 and the establishment of a virtual academy for research and training with over 70 active courses and over 485,000 active students.

In the circumstances, Inuwa’s leadership and managerial skills which had been honed by several high-level trainings in leadership and management at reputable world-class institutions such as Harvard, Sloan Business School, London Business School, IMD Business School, Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University, all came into play, ensuring that critical digital services are being delivered to government and that government can continue to perform its various functions effectively. The same expertise has come into play in his relentless efforts, to transform the Agency into a world class IT Agency.

One instance of this transformation is the service delivery. The Director General comments: “In terms of the service contract, we reviewed the existing SERVICOM unit, expanded stakeholder identification, introduced new roles, realigned responsibilities to absorb the changes, created a new identity tagged iServe, and completed a sensitization process with key action points. Today, iServe represents our people first commitment to customer satisfaction through innovation and professionalism as we pursue the digital economy goals.”

Another key part of NITDA’s statutory mandate is massive upskilling and reskilling of Nigerians across all walks of life. NITDA under Inuwa, has trained well over half a million Nigerians in various basic digital skills and literacy, with such diverse backgrounds as junior schoolteachers, traditional rulers, journalists, youth and talent development programme participants, among others.

The Agency has embarked on a journey to train 1 Million Software Developers in the next 18 months, in collaboration with global giants such as Microsoft, Google, and other key ecosystem players. “Globally, there is a shortage of talents, so, we are creating a mandate to develop a talent strategy because we have a competitive advantage as a country with our vast human and natural resources. Nigeria can seize the opportunity to fill that gap”, the NITDA, DG says, with high optimism.

At a higher level, NITDA has awarded over 450 scholarships in IT to deserving Nigerians at the master’s degree level, with 42 Phds, in the past few years.

Inuwa is delighted with the phenomenal growth of the Nigerian Digital Innovation Ecosystem. Recent large acquisitions such as Stripe’s $200 million takeover of Paystack in 2020, the $320 million Main One Ltd take over by US-based Equinix, and Flutterwave’s $3.5 billion valuation have proudly spotlighted the country as a notable digital innovation centre in Africa.

In the first half of this year alone, Nigeria’s Digital technology and innovation startups have raised over one billion dollars in venture capital funding from major Western capital market funds. Notable among them are Sudo Africa, $3.7 million, Casava, $4 million, DrugStoc, $4.4 million, Bamboo, $15 million, Credpal, $15 million, and Reliance Health, $40 million.

NITDA itself, has recently facilitated the support of six digital information technology start start-ups to access grants of $120 thousand each, amounting to $715 thousand. The Agency is actively backing several digital innovation hubs and has set up such hubs around the country, including over 150 start ups which it has supported to attend the GITEX global exhibition, World Creativity Challenge, among others.

Just the beginning of this year, NITDA facilitated the approval of three Federal Executive Council memos through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, in favour of digital startups. These approvals will incentivise and further harness the country’s digital innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to create job opportunities for its teeming youth population.

Within three years, Inuwa has equipped 160 digital economy centres around the country to further catalyze skills development and digital innovations.

According to Statista, 35 million Nigerian internet users will be added by 2026, which is another clear indication of increasingly phenomenal growth in internet adoption and usage in Nigeria.

Addressing the recent Ogun State Digital Summit in Abeokuta, on Digital Technologies: Key to Sustainable Development, Inuwa affirms that “Digital Technology innovation is not only booming, but it is also quickly moving towards sustainable solutions, with many of the most promising ideas from businesses worldwide having a clear focus on the environment.”

An innovation powerhouse, Inuwa would yet, undoubtedly, be pushing forward the boundaries of innovative digital technologies in Nigeria and beyond, in the coming years.

The post Kashifu Inuwa: Putting NITDA On The Cusp Of A Revolution appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – Three years? Yes, three years as the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and it is heartwarming to note that growing corps of well-educated, world class technocrats are coming to the public domain to help change the narrative in public service.

In these three years, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE defines diligence, hard work and dedication. His penchant for IT growth and vision-driven initiatives to see Nigeria grow its economy through digital technologies are unprecedented. He has demonstrated the purpose of encouraging Nigerians to embrace IT and use it as an enabler for their economic activities. He believes that IT as a source of inspiration, can be harnessed to develop new business value propositions.

As the Director General of NITDA, Inuwa has proved that Nigeria can be Africa’s largest digital economy. Since ascending the leadership of NITDA in August 2019, there has been an impressive implementation of the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap for the development of Nigeria’s IT sector envisioned by Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, as well as implementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s core vision of Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) through Information Technology.

Kashifu has been steadily building upon the foundation laid by the previous occupants of that office, driving the Agency to fulfil its core mandate in consonance with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) of the Federal Government.

To put Nigeria on a path to effectively operate a digital economy, NITDA, under the stewardship of Kashifu Inuwa mapped out a Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024), identified by the Agency as the fulcrum digital economy development.

In his numerous public presentations, Inuwa has spoken extensively about the pillars captured in the SRAP, namely Developmental Regulation; Digital Literacy and Skills; Digital Transformation; Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Cybersecurity; Emerging Technologies; and Promotion of Indigenous Content.
Undoubtedly, his achievements as Director General of NITDA especially in implementation of IT Regulation in the sector in the last three years are unprecedented. He walks the talks by ensuring that Nigeria maintains an automated IT Project Clearance (ITPC) and creation of user accounts for Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), thus, saving the Nigerian Federal Government billions of naira.

It is on recorded that Kashifu continued with the visionary leadership of Prof. Pantami of facilitating the implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), which resulted in the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB). This action further introduced NITDA to international stage thereby earning the Agency the position of Vice Chair of the African Union Policy and Regulatory Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA).

Inuwa knows the ICT global terrain deeply and he is very aware of the challenges, limitations and constraints keeping Nigeria – a nation of about 200 million people – lagging behind in the evolving world of digital economy. Against all the odds Nigeria’s IT sector faces, the NITDA DG has shown his indefatigable vision and passion to take Nigeria into the comity of nations, running on digital economy.
Under his watch, the Agency has developed several regulatory frameworks for IT development, majority of which have been published both in hard and soft copy.
The Agency embarked on the development of two regulatory frameworks for Information Technology development in government establishments. The project is to give rise to digital skills in educational institutions and rural areas of the country. In addition, Information Technology (IT) knowledge is integrated into the underserved areas and cities so as to develop human capital and provide universal access to knowledge with the aim of creating a knowledge-based economy.

Early 2020, just few months after his appointment, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic presented a major challenge to Nigeria and other countries across the globe, and the distinguished strategist faced the challenge by constituting a Tech4Covid Committee that explored measures to be deployed in cushioning the economic effect of the Pandemic on Nigeria’s digital enterprise. The Committee crafted a strategy that would later ensure the retention of about 100,000 ICT jobs and the creation of additional 30,000 jobs in the Post COVID-19 era.

With the needed strategy in place, the Agency has succeeded in programming, developing and mapping out digital processes to cushion the effect of Coronavirus since it is outbreak globally; the Nigeria COVID19 Innovation Challenge, an online innovation challenge that was set up to meet the challenges our society faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Creative minds across the country came together, experimented and built software solutions that helped address this crisis.

Furthermore, NITDA developed various digital educational contents that can be accessed remotely by thousands of Nigerians who were on lockdown, as well as strategies to assist the government in continuing its daily activities virtually. With all the challenges posed by COVID-19, Kashifu continues to provide able leadership to NITDA in discharging its duty of regulating, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and development of the growth of the Nigerian IT sector and digital economy.

In these three years of Kashifu’s reign as Director General, the Agency uncovered unfolded the potentials in Nigerian farmers through Federal Government’s initiative of National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA), a project aimed at changing the face of the agricultural sector in the country.

The National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture is an ecosystem-driven digital platform envisioned for the transformation of the agriculture sector in Nigeria. It is designed to help farmers and other agricultural ecosystem players navigate their journey across the agriculture value chain. This journey cuts across farm production to management, processing, harvesting, storage, marketing and consumption. Farmers were trained and empowered with digital devices and seeds funding, which also created direct and indirect jobs in the country.

NITDA also launched the National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE) to promote digital literacy and skills. 500 students and 30 teachers at Junior Secondary School Karshi benefited from the pilot scheme. The Agency also supervised the training of thousands of Artisans across the 6 Geo-Political Zones on digital literacy and phone repairs.
The Agency trained women on ICT and Entrepreneurship, People Living with Disabilities, each provided with Laptops (with pre-installed e-learning & graphics Software), Internet Dongles & Bag-Packs, direct jobs and indirect jobs were created; trained hundreds of Nigerians on Software, Mobile App & Web Development, and Entrepreneurship.

In addition to making an effort in IT development as well as enhancing the IT capacity of the citizenry, hundreds of IT Hubs, IT Parks, and Community ICT Centres were established, furnished and equipped with world class facilities across the states of the federation. The Agency, through its strategic relations with Tecpreneurs, supported start-ups, IT hubs and ecosystem builders through Nigeria ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vision (NIIEV). In the process, NITDA’s programmes have created employment for Nigerian youths.

To ensure Nigeria’s pool of talents were not left behind, the Agency under his watch, established National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), to drive and support research, development, and adoption of Emerging Technologies in Nigeria.

The Centre is creating the required environment for Nigeria’s teaming youths; encourage innovation and indigenisation of technologies to help address the continuous reliance on foreign products and services which has negative impact on the country’s economy. It serves as a bridge between the government, industry, and the academia in providing research environment for creativity, idea integration, collaborative environment, development of ICT policies, processes and strategies.
Kashifu commissioned Digital Fabrication Laboratory (Abuja FabLab 1.0), a unit within the Centre that serves as one of its revenue-generating components. FabLab offers training and capacity-building programmes for the Centre’s staff and external Agencies requiring such services. While the FabLab serves all the entities within the ecosystem, it also maintains an open-door policy to the public, hence encouraging all digital innovators and makers to drive their ideas from inception to impact. It maintains an open access policy to allow the laboratory to serve as a digital innovation accelerator for all innovators and makers. It allows open-production and public access to aid innovation and entrepreneurship activities.
As a result of Kashifu’s commitment, Nigeria made history when it the Agency hosted the Key Generation and Handover Ceremony for Root Certification Authority (RCA) for Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) and Country Verification Certification Authority (CVCA) of the National Public Key Infrastructure (NPKI), signaling the commencement of Public Key Infrastructure Service Provision in Nigeria.

As a results of NITDA’s high productivity, performance, excellence in service delivery and impact on the nation IT sector, the Agency received the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award from the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. The honour is for the Agency to do more in getting all Nigerians on board the digital journey of the Federal Government. Interestingly, NITDA is the only government Agency that was honoured with this award.

These successes, certainly, have been achieved through the efforts of this distinguished personality who against all odds, leads his organisation to greater heights. As he celebrates three years in office, I join millions of Nigerians in congratulating him for these achievements. I also pray that the Almighty continue to guide him as he leads NITDA to greater heights and facilitates Nigeria’s transformation into a leading digital economy where citizens use digital technologies in creating wealth and prosperity.

Mubarak Umar writes from Abuja

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