Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called for deeper state government collaborations to realise Nigeria’s digital economy goals, stressing sub-national alignment as key to policy implementation.
NITDA
Inuwa spoke virtually at the South-South Regional ICT Stakeholders Forum, which gathered policymakers, tech leaders, civil society, and ecosystem players to accelerate digital growth in the region.
He noted federal progress but emphasised that success hinges on states domesticating policies like the Nigerian Startup Act and National Digital Literacy Framework into actionable programmes.
“Digital transformation can only be sustained when states establish clear implementation structures,” he said, assuring NITDA’s technical support for ICT ministries and agencies.
Prioritising digital literacy, Inuwa outlined NITDA’s target of 95 per cent nationwide literacy by 2030 via the National Digital Literacy Framework. Partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Education integrate skills into curricula, train teachers, and upskill over 54,000 federal civil servants.
Collaborations with Cisco, NYSC digital champions, and others target markets, worship centres, motor parks, and seniors for broader inclusion.
South-South states were urged to join these efforts for efficient governance and service delivery.
Cross River State Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Justin Atiang Beshel, reaffirmed commitment to broadband expansion, e-government, skills, and jobs.
Despite rural connectivity and funding hurdles, he hailed NITDA-private sector ties to bridge the digital divide, enhance cybersecurity, and position the state as a tech hub.
