The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has urged greater collaboration among key stakeholders to unlock the vast potential of Nigeria’s digital economy and accelerate national development.
Inuwa made the call at the NITDA-States IT Stakeholders’ Engagement and Ecosystem Development programme, themed “Creating Opportunities, Breaking Boundaries: Towards Digitalization and Entrepreneurial Evolution,” held in Abuja.
Represented by Mr. Ajayi Babajide, Director of Zonal Office Coordination, the NITDA boss described Nigeria’s economy Africa’s largest by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as being at a critical juncture that demands urgent diversification. He identified the digital economy as a key pathway to sustainable growth, job creation, and inclusive development.
According to him, digitalisation has become a central driver of economic transformation globally, providing unprecedented access to knowledge and enabling developing nations to compete effectively on the world stage. He added that Nigeria must position itself strategically to fully harness the benefits of the rapidly expanding global technology sector.
Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s mandate to drive digital innovation nationwide, noting that the agency is focused on building an inclusive ecosystem that empowers all sectors, particularly underserved communities. He highlighted the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), alongside the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), aimed at equipping citizens with relevant digital skills.
The DG disclosed that NITDA has established over 100 IT centres across the country to support digital learning and skills acquisition. However, he stressed that sustaining and scaling these initiatives would require deeper collaboration among government at all levels, the private sector, academia, and civil society.
He further emphasised the importance of investing in innovation hubs and incubators to support startups from ideation to market readiness, enabling them to compete globally. Inuwa noted that through its special purpose vehicles, including the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), NITDA continue to provide incubation, acceleration, and training programmes for young innovators.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem has attracted significant investments and produced globally recognised startups, including unicorns, he called for sustained efforts to maintain the momentum through strong policies, legal frameworks, and institutional support.
He said the engagement offered stakeholders an opportunity to exchange ideas, co-create solutions, and align strategies for effective implementation of digital initiatives across states in line with SRAP 2.0, reiterating NITDA’s commitment to fostering partnerships that will drive Nigeria’s digital transformation.
In his keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State, Eric Monday, said the state’s digital strategy is focused on deploying technology in critical sectors such as healthcare, works, and environmental management.
He noted that previous stakeholder engagements had helped shape actionable development plans, stressed that collaboration remained key to achieving sustainable progress. He added that a skills acquisition centre, supported by development partners, is nearing completion and will soon provide training for young people in relevant digital competencies.
Monday also revealed that the state is expanding its international partnerships, including collaborations with Chinese organisations, to strengthen its innovation ecosystem and unlock new economic opportunities.
Other dignitaries who spoke at the event included the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nasarawa State, Mr. Damina John, and the Executive Director, Commercial and Industry Development at the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Mrs. Aisha Rufai.
