By Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, North

In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at accelerating diversification through industrialisation and digitisation, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its dedication to collaborating with relevant development partners to achieve 95 per cent digital literacy coverage in Nigeria by the end of 2030.

As per  a press statement emanating from the Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, Hajia Hadiza Umar, the Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi shared this commitment during discussions with e-health Africa, a development partner, during their working visit to the Agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.

Mallam Abdullahi  who stressed the need to work as team in the implementation of digital initiatives that could have a far-reaching impact on Nigerians, told his visitors that seven out of the nine strategic plans which the Ministry of Communications Innovation, and Digital Economy(FMOCIDE) unveiled, NITDA was championing their implementation through its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2024-2027.

The NITDA DG stressed the importance of collaboration with relevant bodies and experts to ensure successful policy implementation and expedite results for the country’s overall development.

He said “The seventy per cent national digital literacy coverage by 2027 would be a litmus test for the ambitious 95 per cent digital literacy coverage by 2030.”

He outlined the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan as the foundation for building a resilient tech ecosystem that would strengthen the nation’s pursuit of sustainable economic development. According to him, NITDA was actively working with development partners like GIZ, the UK government, and the Federal Ministry of Education to revise its curriculum for learning digital skills, facilitating Nigeria’s digital transformation.

In response to the shift in policy, Abdullahi stressed the importance of focusing on skills in demand to build a viable tech ecosystem. This approach, according to him, aimed to address Nigeria’s digital illiteracy issues and promote digital innovations for a robust and sustainable economy.

The NITDA boss highlighted the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s strategic blueprint, tasking NITDA with the implementation of various programmes, including AI, Blockchain, IOT, the Nigerian Start-up Act, Data Strategy, and the Digital Economy Bill.

Seeking collaboration with the visiting organisation, Abdullahi expressed the need to implement these programmes for the betterment of the country and also acknowledged the under-utilisation of NITDA’s digital literacy centers and pledged further investment in research and capacity building, fostering collaborations with academia, startups, and non-governmental organizations.

He disclosed NITDA’s collaboration with the Ministry to implement the 3 Million Tech Talents (3MTT) initiative, addressing the IT gap through interventions like learning centers saying simultaneously, the agency was working to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity and digital trust.

To overcome fears associated with IT and digital services, Abdullahi  outlined internal reforms, ensuring a psychologically safe environment, organisational excellence, cultural reorientation, automation of government processes, and changing citizens’ mindset for swift adoption of digital innovations.

Earlier, the visiting team from e-health Africa led by Abdulhamid Yahaya, stated that their visit was to formally intimate their activities and other engagements across the country to the agency, which aligned with NITDA’s mandate, being the nations apex IT regulator, and to seek for robust collaboration in the implementation of the National e-health policy with their digital empire.

He gave his assurances that the e-Health Africa was ready and committed to work with NITDA and any other relevant organization to actualize the dreams of the entire Nigerian citizenry.