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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and African Development Bank (AfDB) have advocated for more investment into the ICT sector to improve inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services.
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According to the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kachifu Inuwa Abdullahi during a recent meeting in Abuja with Ms. Edosio Uyoyo and Traore Toho Syevie, who led a delegation from the AfDB to NITDA, investment in ICT will help lay the groundwork for the country’s technological advancement.
Uyoyo briefed the NITDA team on various initiatives the AfDB was implementing to drive digital inclusiveness across the continent.
The NITDA boss emphasised that ICT is instrumental in creating opportunities, enhancing service delivery, fostering job creation, improving security, and revolutionising conventional approaches.
He assured of NITDA’s commitment to drive inclusiveness and shared the agency’s plans to construct additional Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) tailored to meet Nigeria’s goals to make government services digitally accessible to citizens.
He said NITDA’s strategic direction fostered around the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2024-2027) 2.0 is structured on eight pillars which include Fostering Digital Literacy and Cultivating Talents, Building a Robust Technology Research Ecosystem, Strengthening Policy Implementation and Legal Frameworks.
Others are Promoting Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services, Enhancing Cybersecurity and Digital Trust, Nurturing an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Forging Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations, and Cultivating a Vibrant Organisational Culture with an Agile Workforce.
All of these are aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s to “Accelerate Diversification through Industrialisation, Digitisation, and Innovation.’
Speaking earlier, Uyoyo, the Principal ICT and Innovation Expert from the AfDB, lauded NITDA’s initiatives across the country, acknowledging their transformative impact on operational efficiency and service delivery.
She disclosed that the Bank has a framework in place, covering the period from 2020 to 2024, and expressed the need for completion reports to guide future initiatives from 2025 to 2029.
“We are here for the completion reports to guide us towards planning for the next initiative of a four-year plan from 2025-2029. We want to know and understand key areas you are focusing on and we need the bank to prioritise support in order to meet up with ambitious targets at the end of the project time frame,” she said.
