As the Federal Government of Nigeria continues to support and challenge its teeming youthful population to innovate indigenous solutions that have global impact, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has unveiled the NIJA Chat, a messaging, gaming and lifestyle app which he said will help build public digital infrastructure and boost the Nation’s economy.
Inuwa who made this known after unveiling the Nija Chat Application by iCELL in Abuja, said it is a clarion call to all Nigerians both home and the diaspora to embrace the tech to encourage more of such innovative ideas to emerge from the country.
According to the Director-General, the journey which started six months ago when the iCELL team solicited NITDA’s support to build the application was one that the Agency was pleased to be a part of.
“NITDA worked hand-in-hand with them to refine and accelerate the thoughts, as well as offered technical support to build this app”,Inuwa noted.
While describing the application as a super frontier app, Inuwa stressed that the application is more like a lifestyle app where one can find everything in one place.
“This is a futuristic app because frontier applications are increasingly being promoted in the world today”.
“So, you can personalise your experience and have everything done in this particular app, rather than hop from one app to another just to do the same thing”, the DG affirmed.
The NITDA Boss joined the team to test the workabilities of the app by making some local/international audio and video calls on the messaging app, and afterwards averred that it was indeed a fantastic experience.
Attributing the feat to Nigeria’s young and talented population, Inuwa said with the right environment, which the government is constantly working on to harness the amazing potential of the Nation’s digitally natives, the ‘Digital Nigeria’ quest would be attained sooner than later.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mandated our Ministry to accelerate Nigeria’s economic diversification by enhancing productivity in critical sectors, and with apps like this one, it will pretty much help in that direction”.
“Our SMEs can use this application to promote their products and services, communicate with customers and suppliers”, Inuwa said.
Whereas the official launch of the app is billed for 1st January, 2024, the DG offered some observations regarding the app that need to be worked upon as he also expressed the hope that the next stage should be to build a payment wallet on it.
“When the payment wallet is brought onboard, anyone can receive and send money easily and this will help promote the cashless transactions which is ultimately, the future we are building”.
“We will continue to urge our startups to take up on innovative ventures like this, in order to enhance the quality of life for our citizens and make connections seamless”, Inuwa assured.
Inuwa commended the team for coming up with the project and bringing it to impact level, adding that the Tinubu’s administration will not relent in its efforts toward encouraging and supporting indigenous solutions.
Earlier while welcoming guests, Abbey Abbey the Chief Technical Officer, iCELL, gave a brief of the Nija Chat, noting that platform will redefine the way Nigerians and the world connect, live and play around in the digital space, emphasising that the Nija Chat is not just a messaging, gaming and lifestyle app but a testament to the future of cutting edge technology and the limitless possibilities of human connections.
In a world where connection is key, Abbey noted that NIJA Chat has taken it a notch higher by seamlessly integrating the messaging and gaming experience that transcend the norm.
“This is not just about lifestyle, it also aligns with the dynamic spirits of our users, bringing you an experience like no other, especially as the platform offers a secure, vast, and intuitive interphase, ensuring that your connections are as vibrant as possible”, Abbey espoused.
Abbey went further to illustrate that beyond messaging and gaming, Nija Chat platform is also a companion in lifestyle which avails its users exclusive content and personalised experiences that have been curated in the app, covering all facets of life.
“Today, we are not just unveiling an app, we are actually unleashing a new revolution as it is not just connecting people but creating a digital ecosystem that adapts to your business, evolves with your preferences and also grows with your aspirations”, Abbey maintained.
He appreciated his team for their brilliant minds which brought about the development of the app and lauded other stakeholders, especially NITDA, for partnering and supporting the course.
Other stakeholders who were present to herald the era of the latest app in town added their voices to applaud the innovation and beckoned on Nigerians to download, install and use it, in order to enhance local content and bolster the Nation’s digital economy.
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