Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has visited the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abuja to strengthen cooperation on digital development.
NITDA
Accompanied by ITU Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Emmanuel Manasseh, the delegation was received by Dr. Warowei Dimie, NITDA’s Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, on behalf of Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
The visit enabled strategic discussions on digital challenges in Nigeria, Africa, and developing regions, focusing on inclusive ICT growth, skills building, and sustainable infrastructure.
Dr. Dimie, speaking for the NITDA DG, reaffirmed commitment to deeper ITU ties, praising the UN agency’s global expertise for adapting best practices to Nigeria’s context.
He spotlighted digital skills as central, with Nigeria targeting 70 percent national digital literacy by 2027 through private sector partnerships and the National Digital Literacy Framework – a key milestone for broad-based skills development.
Challenges like rural connectivity gaps drew emphasis, with calls for grassroots training and deploying National Youth Service Corps members as digital ambassadors.
Dr. Zavazava outlined ITU-BDT’s role in bridging the digital divide, enhancing regulations, and building resilient infrastructure across 194 member states, via offices in Dakar (West Africa) and Addis Ababa (Africa).
He highlighted alignments with Nigeria’s transformation goals, including joint work on skills, broadband mapping, and cybersecurity. Nigeria benefits from a €15 million ITU-EU project for broadband modelling among 11 sub-Saharan nations and joined ITU-UAE global cybersecurity drills with 136 countries.
The engagement signals stronger ITU-NITDA partnership to drive ICT-led innovation and socio-economic growth in Nigeria.
