SHALOM OLALEYE
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has urged for significant investment in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services.
In a meeting with a delegation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) at NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, Inuwa emphasized the role of ICT in advancing the nation’s economy through digital integration.
During the meeting, Inuwa highlighted ICT’s pivotal role in creating opportunities, improving service delivery, fostering job creation, enhancing security, and transforming traditional approaches.
He reiterated NITDA’s commitment to constructing additional Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and developing tailored modalities to meet the nation’s digital service needs efficiently and accessibly.
The DG detailed the agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2024-2027) 2.0, centered on eight pillars, including fostering digital literacy, building a robust technology research ecosystem, strengthening policy implementation, promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure, enhancing cybersecurity, nurturing an innovative ecosystem, forging strategic partnerships, and cultivating an agile organizational culture.
Speaking at the meeting , Edosio Uyoyo, the Principal ICT and Innovation Expert from the African Development Bank, highlighted the Bank’s existing framework covering 2020 to 2024, and expressed the need for completion reports to guide future initiatives from 2025 to 2029, emphasizing the Bank’s commitment to supporting NITDA’s ambitious targets.
“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.