By Dayo Omoogun
In this outgoing year as in previous years, the management of NITDA has continued to demonstrate its in-depth understanding of its mandate and the burden of responsibility it bears towards its various publics and Nigerians in general. Evidence of this can be seen in the focus, creativity, determination it brings to bear in the pursuit of its mandate.
For the avoidance of doubt the National Information Technology Development Act (2007) mandates the agency to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria. This no doubt is a huge responsibility but clearly the management team under the leadership of Dr. Kashifu Inuwa has proven that it has the capacity to deliver on it.
Through various strategic partnerships, mentorships, trainings, appropriately crafted policies among other strategiesthe agency is steadily changing the real- time narratives as it concerns the nation’s digital literacy eco-system while charting the path towards Nigeria’s robust future of not just global competitiveness but dominance and leadership.
Towards achieving 70% digital literacy in 2025 the NITDA has chosen to engage in innovative approaches in initiatives delivery, continuous collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
This year alone, NITDA has entered into several key partnerships with other forward –looking, development-conscious organisations who are well-disposed to leveraging technology in the pursuit of their goals and objectives and thereby contributing their utmost to overall national cum global development.
With the USAID, the target is food security, while it partners NIMC to build Key Public Infrastructure [KPIs] and Digital Public Infrastructure {DPIs] while it also partnered with Afrelib to sponsor bootcamp in Tech and Career Expo. There are several others.
As part of it’s numerous lofty goals, NITDA is working hard towards having one innovation tech hub per state of the federation.
The agency has also been in the forefront of the campaign for reviewing national education curriculum to integrate digital skills.
This stance was pointedly articulated when the management of the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council came visiting in June.
“We must lead in developing a competency-based, outcome- focused curriculum that addresses the demands of the 21st century. This will enable us to produce a skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of Nigeria market and attracting investment from other countries, integrating digital skills into the curriculum is crucial for national development and economic growth”, Inuwa stated.
Its partnership with the NYSC which entails training youth corpers in their service year and using them as digital literacy ambassadors across Nigeria is clearly another superlative strategy. At a recent engagement with the ambassadors, the Director- General of NITDA Dr. Kashifu Inuwa, urged them to show commitment to the cause as he reminded them of their critical role.
In his keynote address, on the ocassion, Inuwa said, “you are the ambassadors of our shared vision to empower every Nigerian with the knowledge needed to navigate and excel in the digital economy. Your dedication and resilience will ensure that no Nigerian is left behind as we build a technologically driven, globally competitive economy.”
In furtherance of the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act, NITDA inaugurated a labeling committee drawn from both the public and private sectors. The labelling committee is saddled with the responsibility of recognising and labelling eligible startups thereby prequalifying them for the various benefits provided by the Act.
In the course of the year NITDA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to hold GITEX- the world’s largest technology fair- in Nigeria. This massive event is scheduled for sometime in 2025.
This piece is by no means exhaustive of the various efforts being made by the agency on various fronts to bridge the digital gap in the country.
The Agency truly deserves commendations for its ingenuity, diligence and commitment to achieving the nations digital literacy aspirations.