…Applauds Strategic Reforms, Partnerships, and Youth Empowerment

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), an organization tasked with the regulation of the information technology, techpreneur sector of the country and other ICT development initiatives/infrastructure having met best global practices and international standards; has been repositioned and rebranded accordingly. The Agency has done this through upgrading, innovations, developmental initiatives, building capacities, advocacies, as well as enhancement of policies, processes and formation of enabling environment in the industry as it is obtainable in developed climes.

NITDA is in partnership and collaboration with Tik-Tok, CISCO, Federal Ministry of Education, US Consulate General, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU), FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Abuja Enterprise Agency, Bank of Industry (BOI), African Development Bank (AfDB) and some Nigerian state governments to deepen digital literacy and impact knowledge.

NITDA has reformed the industry through accountability, transparency and good governance practice, a fundamental change in approach and paradigm shift, thereby moving the goal post from what it used to be to a new way of doing things. It has achieved this through partnership, collaborations and synergies with international and multinational organizations, as well as blue chip companies across the globe for the betterment of the sector under the able leadership of Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE.

Speaking on the Agency’s move to review most of its regulations, as outlined in the Agency’s comprehensive plans as encapsulated in the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0 for 2024-2027, as part of efforts towards implementing the Presidential Renewed Hope priority areas in enhancing the country’s digital economy, the Director-General of NITDA, emphasized that:

“NITDA has reached advanced stage of establishing a National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which will underpin the nation’s electronic signature framework. That the framework development involved extensive research into international best practices and substantial investment in necessary infrastructure.” The DG also noted that the Agency’s legal advancements and efforts are underway to push for the enactment of a comprehensive digital economy that will incorporate the electronic signature and other critical regulatory instruments.

This is coming as the Agency under his lead management has vigorously pursued proactive people-oriented policies and programmes that have placed the ICT industry on the pedestal for growth as it has entered into a lot of strategic partnerships and collaborations with multi-stakeholders from far and near and keeping with up-to-date ICT innovations and initiatives which have a far reaching impact on the youthful demography and blue chip companies in the country.

Under his management and leadership, NITDA is driving innovations, ideas and community based approaches with ‘start-ups,’ partnership and collaboration to impact directly on tech organizations, ICT driven solutions for blue chip companies and regulatory frameworks to develop, build and empower the various users of technology-based platforms in the industry by making it safe, efficient and affordable for all.

Nevertheless, NITDA is creating an enabling environment for safety, data protection and ICT enhancement within the country, as well as aggressive advocacy for the growth within the industry and putting Nigeria’s ICT image on the front burner and international stage by changing the conversation.

The Agency, like its sister agencies across the continent, is empowering its staff through training and retraining, including manpower development in ICT and technology, so as to effectively and efficiently control and manage the various platforms and data processes available to its environs.

In a press release signed in Lagos by Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, Executive Secretary of Citizens Watch Advocacy Initiative (CWAI), who is also President, Guild of Civil Societies and Media Executives for Equity, Justice and Transparency in Nigeria (GOCMEJ), the organization noted that the Information Technology agency has been able to curtail the excesses within the industry to conform with best global practices and, as well raise the standards to meet what is obtainable in Africa and other climes presently.

CWAI further asserted that the Agency has also put the youthful demography on the world map by various programmes and ideas hub, sponsored by the Agency, showcasing Nigerian youths at exchange programmes and events and making the youths compete with other youths to fertilize ideas and grow new innovations and skill to challenge the industry and create the needed environment for competition and further innovation and skill-set development.

CWAI therefore recognizes that NITDA has consistently driven an Information Technology Policy that is geared towards the enhancement of Nigeria’s global acceptability and certification in the digital economy, where the country’s local and foreign partners and stakeholders are carried along in an effective, efficient and affordable value chain for the growth of the ICT sector and industry, creating and empowering digital potentials and creating job opportunities and economic diversification for emerging technologies.

Accordingly, the lead management of the agency has vigorously pursued ICT related programmes, policies and innovations that have placed the industry in a firm control so as to thwart the activities of hackers, malwares and also inform Nigerians of the need to protect its information and data, including sensitizing the industry and Nigerians on how to overcome their activities, plans and best international practices on how to protect computers, systems and platforms and safeguard their usage when the need arises in both online and offline basis.

In spite of various challenges such as the duplicity of regulatory functions within the industry, the immediate dissemination of information to Nigerians in the event of new malwares and hacking methodologies, the constant power outage within the country for the safeguarding and protection of data and other industry challenges, NITDA has been able to drive a new narrative of investors’ confidence in the tech industry with its up-to-date capacity development, control measures put in place and the empowering of the youthful demography who throng to the digital world as a result of the information literacy and support of the agency to grow and develop the sector like never before envisaged.

There are also ongoing stakeholders and partnership engagements to protect data rights and guarantee effective usage by promoting awareness compliance with NITDA’s mandate. The Agency is actively training the youthful population in data privacy, protection and creating a pool of globally competitive demography within the given period and also responsible for implementing the information technology policy as well as creating a framework for IT practices in the country.

NITDA is ahead in developing IT capacity, that encourages local production of IT components to improve the country’s technological development, and job creation; regulating, establishing standards, guidelines and frameworks for IT practices and advising on copyright laws, clearing house for government IT projects and infrastructural development, including issuing Letters of No Objection to public and private applicants within three working days.

CWAI is encouraged by the institutional development, performance, sterling leadership and capacity enhancement of the Agency in policy formation as regards the ICT growth; propelling the youth demography in the sector and the professional expertise as it relates to global competitiveness of Nigerians and their wellbeing.

CWAI also notes that the skill deficit in human capital that hinders the country from thriving in the global digital economy would be overcome once and for all, as well as this would raise global digital competence in the country in the future, thereby expanding the service sector.

The performance indices of the present leadership of NITDA has been sustainable and has surpassed all others since the creation of the Agency as both internal and external publics, including staff welfare, have been enhanced like never before seen, as stakeholders from far and near have endorsed the transformational leadership and the paradigm shift in spite of the daunting challenges confronting the Agency.

It is in view of this that CWAI enjoins the tech-ecosystem and techpreneurs to raise their voices and join the clarion call for all hands to be on deck for Nigeria to be able to achieve a large value chain that facilitates youth engagement, entrepreneurship development, the MSME development and women empowerment, which will provide and empower a rich, vibrant local industry of digital training providers with globally recognized standards.

CWAI therefore holistically supports NITDA’s drive and innovation and ideas hub in the formulation of digital policies that will put Nigeria on the global arena and market place of ideas and the future.