The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has expressed its commitment to collaborating with relevant development partners to achieve 95 percent digital literacy coverage in Nigeria by the end of 2030, which is following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at accelerating diversification through industrialisation and digitization.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, shared this during discussions with e-health Africa, a development partner, during their working visit to the Agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
According to Inuwa, we need to work as a team in the implementation of digital initiatives that could have a far-reaching impact on Nigerians; seven out of the nine strategic plans that the Ministry of Communications Innovation, and Digital Economy unveiled, NITDA is championing their implementation through its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2024-2027.
The DG stressed the importance of collaboration with relevant bodies and experts to ensure successful policy implementation and expedite results for the country’s overall development.
“The seventy percent national digital literacy coverage by 2027 would be a litmus test for the ambitious 95 percent digital literacy coverage by 2030.”
He outlined the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan as the foundation for building a resilient tech ecosystem that will strengthen the nation’s pursuit of sustainable economic development. According to him, NITDA is actively working with development partners like GIZ, the UK government, and the Federal Ministry of Education to revise its curriculum for learning digital skills, facilitating Nigeria’s digital transformation.
In response to the shift in policy, Inuwa stressed the importance of focusing on skills in demand to build a viable tech ecosystem. This approach, according to him, aims to address Nigeria’s digital illiteracy issues and promote digital innovations for a robust and sustainable economy.
The DG highlighted the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s strategic blueprint, tasking NITDA with the implementation of various programs, including AI, Blockchain, IOT, the Nigerian Start-up Act, Data Strategy, and the Digital Economy Bill.
Seeking collaboration with the visiting organisation, Inuwa expressed the need to implement these programs for the betterment of the country. He also acknowledged the under-utilisation of NITDA’s digital literacy centers and pledged further investment in research and capacity building, fostering collaborations with academia, startups, and non-governmental organizations.
Inuwa disclosed NITDA’s collaboration with the Ministry to implement the 3 Million Tech Talents (3MTT) initiative, addressing the IT gap through interventions like learning centers. Simultaneously, the agency is working to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity and digital trust.
To overcome fears associated with IT and digital services, Inuwa outlined internal reforms, ensuring a psychologically safe environment, organisational excellence, cultural reorientation, automation of government processes, and changing citizens’ mindset for the swift adoption of digital innovations.
Earlier, the visiting team from e-health Africa led by Abdulhamid Yahaya, stated that their visit was to formally intimate their activities and other engagements across the country to the agency, which aligns with NITDA’s mandate, being the nation’s apex IT regulator, and to seek for robust collaboration in the implementation of the National e-health policy with their digital empire.
He gave his assurances that e-Health Africa is ready and committed to work with NITDA and any other relevant organization to actualize the dreams of the entire Nigerian citizenry.
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