Nigeria’s digital and media landscape is set for a major boost as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) announce a strategic partnership.
The collaboration aims to drive digital transformation, modernize regulatory frameworks, and foster innovation across the country’s technology and media sectors. Leaders from both agencies emphasized capacity building, AI adoption, and knowledge sharing as key pillars of the partnership.
The announcement came during a courtesy visit by NBC Director General, Mr. Charles Ebuebu, to NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, where both leaders explored practical areas of collaboration to enhance efficiency, innovation, and regulatory effectiveness.
Speaking at the meeting, DG NITDA, Inuwa highlighted that digital transformation and effective regulation are inseparable in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystem. He emphasized that transformation is a continuous journey requiring constant adaptation, capacity building, and a culture that embraces innovation and accountability.
“More than 70 to 80 percent of our staff joined NITDA from the mainstream public service, bringing traditional bureaucratic mindsets. We consciously changed that narrative by focusing on people, resetting mindsets, building capacity, and fostering a culture that supports innovation,” Inuwa said.
The DG outlined NITDA’s approach, anchored on three pillars: people, processes, and technology. He explained that the agency undertook a comprehensive cultural reorientation programme, creating an environment of psychological safety that encourages staff to share ideas, challenge processes constructively, and collaborate across departments.
“In any organisation, culture forms the foundation for successful strategy. No matter how good a strategy is, without the right culture, execution will fail,” he added.
Under NITDA’s transformation framework, the agency documented and streamlined over 396 internal processes, eliminating inefficiencies and empowering departments to take ownership of routine operations. Staff have also undergone mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) training, enabling them to leverage technology to enhance productivity and transition from manual administrative roles to AI-enabled system administration.
Inuwa further revealed that NITDA has developed a comprehensive digital transformation playbook, which the agency is ready to share with NBC and other government institutions to accelerate digital adoption across Nigeria.
Highlighting potential areas of partnership, Inuwa proposed tailored training programmes, digital literacy initiatives with global technology partners like Cisco, and technical support to modernise regulatory frameworks in line with Nigeria’s evolving digital and media landscape.
For his part, Mr. Ebuebu described the collaboration as long overdue, emphasizing that strategic partnership between NBC and NITDA is crucial to effectively regulate Nigeria’s media ecosystem, harness technology for content creation and distribution, promote local media growth, facilitate knowledge transfer, and safeguard national interests.
The meeting marks a significant step toward aligning Nigeria’s technology and media sectors for innovation-driven growth, signalling a new era of inter-agency cooperation in the country’s digital journey.
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