*Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation forum, in Kaduna, emphasises digital transformation is central to achieving the Federal Government’s eight priority areas, and foundational to uniting Nigerians through equitable access to opportunities

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

The Federal Government is commitment to deepening digital literacy, accelerating innovation, and expanding technology infrastructure as key drivers of inclusive national development.

Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), stated this in an address delivered at the two-day Interactive Session on Government鈥揅itizens Engagement, held in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria.

The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) organised the forum took place in the iconic Arewa House in Kaduna, with the theme, 鈥淎ssessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government Engagement for National Unity”.

The SABMF forum convened high-level stakeholders in government, civil society, academia, and policymakers to reflect on the progress of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, particularly in the area of governance delivery and citizen inclusion.

Digital transformation to driving national productivity, says Inuwa

Inuwa, in his address, stressed that digital transformation is not only central to achieving the eight priority areas outlined by President Tinubu, but also foundational to uniting the country through equitable access to available opportunities.

NITDA said Inuwa also described digital economy as “a cross-cutting enabler” capable of enhancing productivity across all sectors, from agriculture and education to healthcare and financial services.

He also stated: 鈥淒igital technology is not a vertical sector, it is pervasive and foundational.

“It powers everything else and provides a framework for inclusive growth.鈥�

The Director-General of NITDA outlined the agency鈥檚 strategic focus around three key pillars.

According to him, these are: human capital development, digital infrastructure, and innovation-driven entrepreneurship.

He as well noted that the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda has heralded renewed vision and energy in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Inuwa said these had enabled the government MDAs to act in concert, and foster stronger trust between government and the private sector.

On building quality human capital for inclusive growth

In regard to human capital development, Inuwa noted that Nigeria鈥檚 greatest resource are its people, and developing digital skills at scale is crucial to unlocking that potential.

The Information Technology (IT) sector regulatory agency disclosed that through initiatives, such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, NITDA has trained over 350,000 individuals in Northern Nigeria since 2023.

The objective of such programme and initiative, Inuwa said, is to ensure that by 2027, over 70 percent Nigerian consumers will have attained basic digital literacy.

In a move to attain this, he disclosed NITDA is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to embed digital skills into the formal education system from kindergarten to tertiary level.

Inuwa said partnerships with the National Universities Commission (NUC) are ongoing to ensure digital literacy becomes part of the general studies curriculum across Nigerian universities.

Besides, the Director-General affirmed that NITDA is collaborating with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to train of Corps members annually, who, in turn, would serve as digital literacy champions, taking technology skills into rural communities and informal sectors across Nigeria.

Significance of critical communication infrastructure

Highlighting infrastructure as another critical area to attain the desired goal, Inuwa also announced that the Federal Government had approved the deployment of 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across the West African country to expand Broadband penetration.

Three digital centres are currently being built in each state of the Federation to ensure that underserved and unserved communities can participate meaningfully in the emerging Nigeria Digital Economy.

Northern Nigeria, Inuwa stated, with its wide coverage and developmental needs is expected to benefit immensely from this rollout.

He disclosed that 13 IT Community Centres, 101 Digital Economy e-learning Centres and a Cybersecurity Research Centre were established in the last two years.

He equally noted that the conducive investment climate fostered by President Tinubu鈥檚 reforms has sparked renewed interest from global technology companies, with global tech giants, such as Google and Microsoft bringing significant investments in Nigeria.

The NITDA Chief further announced that Nigeria would host two major global technology events in the coming months.

These are GITEX Nigeria in September 2025, and the United Nations鈥� ICT for Governance (ICEGOV) Summit, slated for November this year 鈥攂oth of which are expected to attract global innovators and investors, Inuwa said.

Kindly Share This Story