The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has urged Nigeria’s construction industry to embrace digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain to boost productivity and drive innovation.
Inuwa made the call while delivering a keynote address titled “Digital Transformation in the Nigerian Construction Industry” at a two-day workshop organised by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), FCT Chapter, themed “Policy Shifts and Industry Trends.” He was represented at the event by Dr. Yahaya Onimisi, Acting Director of Project Management at NITDA.
The DG stressed that emerging technologies offer clear opportunities to improve service delivery, enhance accuracy, and build smarter project management systems across the construction value chain.
“Digital transformation is not merely about adopting new technology but about fundamentally changing business processes, culture, and skills to leverage the opportunities of the digital age,” Inuwa stated.
He highlighted persistent sectoral challenges such as project delays, cost overruns, and inefficiencies, but maintained that digital adoption could reposition Nigerian Quantity Surveyors from routine cost measurement to strategic, data-driven roles.
Inuwa further called for stronger collaboration between NITDA and NIQS in areas such as capacity building, policy alignment, innovation labs, and a sector-specific digital transformation roadmap aligned with NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0.
He noted that the agency had forged similar partnerships with professional bodies including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
“With continuous learning, strategic investments, and stronger collaborations, Nigeria’s construction sector can unlock new opportunities, improve transparency, and achieve smarter project outcomes,” he concluded.
