Speaking while receiving a delegation from the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education at NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja, Inuwa said Nigeria is in a strong position at a time when many countries are dealing with ageing populations and shrinking workforces.

According to him, this demographic trend creates a major opportunity for Nigeria to supply the skilled talent the world will increasingly need.

He noted that by 2030, global demand for technical and digital skills is expected to far exceed available talent, giving Nigeria a clear chance to become an important source of workforce talent if it invests in education, skills development, and innovation.

According to him, “with the right investments in education and digital skills, Nigeria can transform its demographic advantage into a powerful engine for economic growth and global relevance.”

The NITDA boss stressed that the country has the potential to become a global talent hub and a net exporter of skilled professionals.

Reframing migration narratives, he described Nigerians in the diaspora as valuable national assets who contribute through remittances and knowledge transfer, noting that diaspora inflows remain one of Nigeria’s most stable sources of foreign exchange.

Drawing comparisons with India, Inuwa highlighted how sustained investments in human capital have enabled the Asian nation to produce top executives in leading global technology firms. He attributed this success to a deliberate system of talent development and global placement.

Addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school population, he said equipping millions of underserved individuals with digital skills could unlock vast economic opportunities and help bridge the global talent gap.

Central to this ambition, he said, is NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets achieving 95 per cent digital literacy nationwide by 2030.

The framework focuses on six key areas: device and software operation, information and data literacy, digital content creation, digital marketing, online safety, and problem-solving.

Inuwa further explained that digital skills could transform critical sectors such as agriculture and commerce.

Farmers, he said, can leverage digital tools and smartphones to improve productivity through data-driven decisions, while small-scale traders can expand their reach and boost income using online platforms.

On implementation, he unveiled the “Digital Literacy for All” initiative, which targets students, workers, and participants in the informal sector.

He also disclosed ongoing partnerships with global organisations aimed at training civil servants and strengthening institutional capacity.

The NITDA DG reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with the Almajiri Commission to establish digital learning centres, develop training programmes in indigenous languages, and deploy instructors to Almajiri schools across the country.

Earlier, Muhammad Sani Idris, the executive secretary of the commission, commended NITDA’s efforts in promoting digital literacy, describing them as crucial to bridging Nigeria’s education gap.

He expressed concern over the growing number of out-of-school children, noting that the traditional Almajiri system, originally designed for Qur’anic education, has been weakened by years of neglect and socio-economic pressures.

According to him, many children are sent far from home without adequate care, exposing them to exploitation and insecurity.

Idris called for coordinated action among government, communities, and development partners to address the crisis, highlighting the trans-border nature of the Almajiri system and the need for strategic collaboration.

He also expressed optimism about deepening partnerships with NITDA to leverage digital innovation in expanding access to education and creating better opportunities for millions of Nigerian children.

Speaking at the NITDA-States IT Stakeholders’ Engagement and Ecosystem Development programme, aptly themed “Creating Opportunities, Breaking Boundaries: Towards Digitalization and Entrepreneurial Evolution”, he urged government players, industry leaders, and innovators to work more closely together.

According to him, aligning efforts across the ecosystem is key to unlocking vast opportunities within Nigeria’s digital economy and fast-tracking national development.

For Inuwa, the path forward is collective, one where shared vision and coordinated action turn potential into progress.

The NITDA boss, represented by Mr Ajayi Babajide, director Zonal Office Coordination, said Nigeria’s economy Africa’s largest by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is at a critical juncture that requires urgent diversification, noting that the digital economy presents a strategic pathway to sustainable growth, job creation, and inclusive development.

He explained that in today’s interconnected world, digitalisation has become a key driver of economic transformation, offering unprecedented access to knowledge and creating opportunities for developing nations to compete globally.

According to him, the technology sector remains one of the fastest growing and most impactful segments of the global economy, stressing the need for Nigeria to position itself to fully harness its potential.

Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s mandate to drive and coordinate digital innovation across the country, adding that the agency is focused on creating an enabling environment that empowers all sectors, including underserved communities, to contribute meaningfully to the economy.

He highlighted the implementation of the agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), designed to deliver life-transforming opportunities and strengthen Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

He also pointed to the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), which aims to equip citizens across various sectors with the digital skills required to thrive in a rapidly evolving economy.

The DG disclosed that NITDA has established over 100 IT centres nationwide and provided infrastructure to support digital learning and skills acquisition. However, he emphasised that sustaining and expanding these initiatives would require deeper collaboration with stakeholders.

He called for stronger partnerships among government at all levels, the private sector, academia, and civil society, noting that innovation thrives in an ecosystem supported by effective policies, access to funding, and enabling regulations.

Inuwa also stressed the importance of investing in innovation hubs and incubators to nurture startups from ideation to market readiness, enabling them to compete favourably on the global stage.

On entrepreneurship, he noted that NITDA has continued to support innovation through its special purpose vehicles, including the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), which provide incubation, acceleration, and training programmes for startups and young innovators.

He observed that Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem has attracted significant investments and produced globally recognised startups, including unicorns, but said more efforts are needed to sustain the momentum.

Inuwa further noted that digitalisation holds immense potential for economic diversification, job creation, and inclusive growth, but warned that these opportunities must be deliberately harnessed through robust policies, legal frameworks, and strong institutional support.

He said the engagement provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas, co-create solutions, and align strategies for the effective rollout of digital initiatives across states in line with SRAP 2.0.

The NITDA boss reiterated the agency’s commitment to fostering partnerships and providing the necessary support to drive Nigeria’s digital transformation, expressing confidence that collective efforts would deliver lasting impact.

He urged participants to remain committed to building a future where innovation thrives, opportunities are accessible, and Nigeria’s digital economy reaches its full potential.

In his earlier keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology Kogi State, Pharm. Eric Monday, explained that the state’s digital strategy is focused on applying technology to critical sectors, particularly healthcare, where efforts are underway to improve data management and expand service coverage. He added that similar interventions are being extended to works and environmental management.

He noted that outcomes from previous stakeholder engagements had helped shape actionable plans, stressing the importance of collaboration in achieving sustainable progress.

“Our goal is to learn from others while also sharing our experiences. The knowledge gained from engagements like this will help us strengthen our systems, create opportunities for our youth, and support skills development,” he said.

Highlighting ongoing projects, he disclosed that a skills acquisition centre, supported by development partners, is nearing completion and will soon be equipped to train young people in relevant digital skills.

Monday further revealed that the state is expanding its partnerships beyond Nigeria, including collaborations with Chinese organisations, to build a robust innovation ecosystem and open up new economic opportunities.

Describing Kogi as a “land of opportunity,” the official said the government is committed to leveraging its strategic position as the Confluence State to attract investment and promote growth.

Other dignitaries who delivered remarks at the event included the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nasarawa State, Mr. Damina John, as well as the Executive Director, Commercial and Industry Development at the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Mrs. Aisha Rufai.

Speaking at the South-South Regional ICT Stakeholders Forum, Inuwa emphasized that while Nigeria has made significant strides at the federal level, the real measure of success lies in how states domesticate frameworks like the Nigeria Startup Act and the National Digital Literacy Framework.

The Governance Gap: Beyond Creating ICT Ministries

Inuwa observed that while many states have established ICT-focused ministries, several still lack the comprehensive enabling laws and structured governance mechanisms required to attract investment and scale innovation.

NITDA has offered technical guidance to South-South states to help them transition from mere administrative presence to regulatory readiness.

The Road to 95% Digital Literacy by 2030

A cornerstone of NITDA’s strategy is the National Digital Literacy Framework, which aims to achieve 95% digital literacy across Nigeria by 2030.

Key South-South Implementation Pillars:

• Curriculum Integration: Digital skills are being embedded in school curricula through a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education.
• Teacher Capacity Building: Educators in both public and private schools are undergoing training to drive technology-led learning.
• Civil Service Upskilling: Building on the success of training 54,000 federal civil servants, NITDA is planning a rollout of digital capacity programs for state-level public servants to enhance governance efficiency.

Grassroots Innovation and Strategic Partnerships

The DG highlighted a community-first approach to digital inclusion, utilizing unusual but effective channels:

Cisco Collaboration: Providing self-paced digital courses to youth.

NYSC Digital Champions: Deploying corps members to markets, worship centers, and motor parks to conduct community-based sensitization.

Cross River as a Hub:

Dr. Justin Atiang Beshel, the Cross River State Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, reaffirmed the state’s priority on broadband expansion and e-government services to position the state as a regional digital hub.

The digital economy is not a “Lagos-Abuja” project; it is a 36-state imperative. The call by NITDA for states to strengthen coordination is a push to move Nigeria away from a fragmented digital landscape toward a unified market.

For investors, the domestication of the Nigeria Startup Act at the state level is the biggest incentive, it provides the legal certainty needed to fund tech hubs in cities like Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Uyo.

If the South-South can successfully bridge its rural connectivity gap, it stands to become the country’s most viable alternative tech ecosystem to Lagos.

This position was articulated by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, during his virtual address at the InnovateAI Conference in Lagos.

The conference convened policymakers, tech industry leaders, innovators, and other key stakeholders to examine the future of artificial intelligence and its potential to accelerate Nigeria’s digital economy and broader national development objectives.

Inuwa emphasized that Nigeria’s goal, under the National AI Strategy, is to move beyond adopting foreign-built AI solutions to building and owning systems that align with the country’s values, development priorities, and socio-economic realities.

“Our goal is not just to use AI, but to architect and build our own AI systems in Nigeria,” he said, stressing that the country must take ownership of its AI future.

He noted that Nigeria’s approach to artificial intelligence extends beyond innovation to include governance, infrastructure, data sovereignty, and policy evolution.

According to him,

“Responsible AI is never a finished job; it is an iterative journey. Our policies must evolve as the technology evolves, and we must avoid frozen laws by adopting living policies that adapt over time.”

He cited the implementation of the Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill as a key mechanism for generating insights that will help refine AI regulations and governance frameworks.

Inuwa also highlighted the challenge of data representation in global AI systems, noting that most models are trained on non-African datasets, which often results in bias against local dialects, cultures, and demographics.

“If a model shows bias against a local dialect or demographic, we cannot just patch it. We must reinvest in infrastructure to retrain it with inclusive and representative local datasets,” he stated.

He added that building national AI infrastructure is critical to achieving data sovereignty and ensuring that Nigeria is not merely an end user of foreign AI systems.

He further called for strategic partnerships with global technology companies and hyperscalers to build AI infrastructure in Nigeria while aligning with local values and national priorities.

“The world today is a global village. We need to work with global players, but they must understand our local nuances and help us build the infrastructure to retrain and develop AI models that reflect our context,” he said.

The NITDA Director General explained that adopting a comprehensive AI lifecycle approach, from responsible data collection and governance to deployment and continuous feedback, will enable Nigeria to move from reacting to AI developments to proactively designing indigenous AI systems.

“Without understanding how AI models are trained, how decisions are made, and how models are retrained, it will be difficult to build a responsible and trustworthy AI system,” he warned.

He reaffirmed that the Federal Government is intentional about promoting responsible AI and is working closely with the technology ecosystem to co-design national AI guardrails.

He described platforms such as the InnovateAI Conference and other national AI dialogues as critical to shaping Nigeria’s AI future.

That was the message Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), returned to repeatedly as he addressed stakeholders at the Nigeria Data Privacy Capacity Building Workshop, an event convened by the United States Department of State, in collaboration with the Nigerian Mission and key ecosystem players.

Standing before regulators, technologists and policy actors, Inuwa framed Nigeria’s evolving digital relationship with the United States not as a ceremonial partnership, but as a strategic alliance shaped by necessity, one anchored on data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and human capacity.

“This collaboration is not new,” he said. “It is deliberate, growing, and focused on solving real digital challenges.”

A Partnership Years in the Making

The workshop, Inuwa noted, was another chapter in a relationship that has steadily deepened over time.

In April 2024, Nigeria and the United States formally agreed, through the U.S.–Nigeria Binational Commission, to work together on critical digital priorities, including AI governance, cybersecurity frameworks, data protection and skills development.

That commitment soon moved from policy to practice.

Later that year, both governments co-hosted an Artificial Intelligence Conference, bringing together policymakers, innovators and global experts to examine how emerging technologies could be responsibly deployed in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital economy.

Nigeria also engaged U.S. cybersecurity companies to explore partnerships aimed at strengthening national technical capacity.

For Inuwa, these were not isolated engagements, but building blocks.

Why Data, AI and Cybersecurity Cannot Be Treated Separately

At the heart of NITDA’s strategy, the DG explained, is a simple but often overlooked truth: digital systems rise or fall on trust.

Artificial intelligence depends on data. Data demands privacy. Privacy can only exist where security is strong.

“None of these can be solved in isolation,” Inuwa said.

Without trust, he argued, innovation slows, adoption stalls and costs rise. With trust, digital transformation accelerates, barriers fall and economic value expands.

This interdependence explains why NITDA has placed data protection, AI governance and cybersecurity at the centre of Nigeria’s digital policy architecture, particularly as the country seeks to position itself as a credible player in the global digital economy.

From Local Conferences to Global Platforms

Inuwa revealed that the workshop also signals what comes next.

Following the participation of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Conference last year, plans are underway to scale the event into an international cybersecurity platform in 2026.

The expanded conference is expected to:

• Create a platform for U.S. cybersecurity firms to showcase advanced solutions
• Enable partnerships with Nigerian companies building local cyber tools
• Strengthen Nigeria’s broader cybersecurity ecosystem through shared expertise

For NITDA, the goal is not dependency, but collaboration that builds domestic strength.

Local Talent, Global Partnerships

While acknowledging Nigeria’s reliance on U.S. technologies across public and private digital systems, Inuwa was clear that the country is not short on talent.

Nigeria, he said, has a growing pool of developers, engineers and innovators capable of building homegrown solutions for national and regional challenges, if given the right policies, skills and support.

This, he stressed, is where international partnerships matter most: not just in deploying technology, but in building local capacity and advancing Nigeria’s digital self-determination.

With Africa’s young, digital-native population and expanding market, Inuwa described the continent as the next frontier of the global digital economy, one that must be shaped intentionally, not reactively.

The Stakes Are Clear

Inuwa closed with a sober reminder: digital technology is no longer optional.

“It is the future of economic growth and development,” he said. “No country can afford to be left behind.”

Harnessing the promise of artificial intelligence, he added, requires more than ambition. It demands privacy safeguards, sound policy, and resilient digital foundations capable of supporting rapid technological change.

As Nigeria deepens its digital ties with the United States, the message from NITDA is clear: the future belongs to ecosystems that are secure, trusted, and built to last.

And in that future, trust is not a by-product, it is the starting point

At the heart of this transformation, according to Kashifu Inuwa, director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), are the country’s youth, the creators, innovators, and problem-solvers who hold the key to a prosperous and inclusive future for both Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking at the opening of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, Inuwa called on young Nigerians to step up as leaders of the continent’s digital transformation.

He expressed appreciation for the presence of Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, describing it as a signal of the administration’s commitment to youth empowerment.

Organized by NITDA, Digital Nigeria serves as a vibrant platform where policymakers, innovators, and private-sector leaders converge to shape actionable strategies for a sustainable digital future.

With the theme “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion, and Global Competitiveness,” the conference aligns closely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on economic diversification through digitalization, industrialization, and innovation.

Inuwa warned that Nigeria stands at a crossroads.

“If we harness the energy, creativity, and talent of our youth, we are not just going to power Nigeria, we can power the entire Africa into a new era of prosperity. But if we fail to do that, we are stunting the most valuable asset we have as a nation,” he said.

The 2025 edition attracted over 4,800 participants from 12 countries and 25 Nigerian states, featuring 12 keynotes, 23 panel discussions, five workshops, and two expert masterclasses across five thematic tracks: digital connectivity; digital public infrastructure and trust; AI and emerging technologies; digital trade and innovation; and digital skills and literacy.

In closing, Inuwa urged participants to see the conference as more than a networking event.

“Every handshake, every dialogue, every deal made here should be driven by one conviction: Nigeria can do it, and we will do it,” he affirmed, setting the tone for a collaborative push toward a digitally empowered nation and continent.

He stresses that a forceful investment in local digital public infrastructure is the critical step to unlock sustainable transformation and finally drive meaningful economic growth across the continent.

The DG made this known at the 2nd annual Sustainability Week Africa, which was held at The Westin in Cape Town, South Africa, where he shared insights into how leveraging technologies can accelerate the transition to a greener economy.

Sustainability Week Africa is a continental platform that showcases practical ways for governments, businesses, and communities to embrace green growth, with the 2025 edition focusing on Africa’s role in driving energy transition, climate resilience, and sustainable development.

Speaking during a panel session on Digital Infrastructure for Jobs and Trade in Africa, Inuwa emphasised the urgent need for Africa to develop its own computing infrastructure to achieve digital independence and competitiveness in the global economy.

He noted that while Africa can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to leapfrog development, it must also build the computing capacity required to sustain innovation.

“In the 21st century, compute power is a primary factor of production, and we cannot rely on exporting our raw data to other regions to process it and build products for us,” he averred.

Drawing parallels with Europe’s collaborative approach to developing high-performance supercomputers and AI factories, the DG urged African governments to adopt similar models by creating policy incentives that attract private sector investment in digital infrastructure.

He explained that digital public infrastructure (DPI) operates at two levels: the shared physical and technical infrastructure, such as connectivity and cloud capacity; and the functional layer, digital identity, payment systems, and data exchange platforms, that enable citizens and businesses to access services seamlessly.

Citing Nigeria’s progress, the NITDA DG disclosed that more than 130 million Nigerians have been enrolled under the national digital identity system, while efforts are underway to establish a national data exchange platform and a DPI Centre of Excellence to promote interoperability and best practices across all tiers of government.

He added that such initiatives could serve as a model for other African countries, advocating for an “African-built DPI” that reflects local needs rather than imported systems.

“The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy in Nigeria, Dr Bosun Tijani, is leading and pushing for establishing a DPI centre of excellence, where we can have people building the actual DPI data exchange well, building APIs, and also coming up with best practices,” he disclosed.

On digital literacy, Inuwa reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to achieving 95% digital literacy by 2030 and 70% by 2027, under the National Digital Literacy Framework.

He noted that digital skills have now become mandatory for students and civil servants, through partnerships with organisations such as Cisco and the NYSC to train youth, women, and market traders on how to use digital tools and AI-powered applications to expand economic opportunities.

The NITDA boss called for clear policy frameworks to guide AI adoption and technology development across Africa, describing digital transformation not as a sector, but as an enabler for every sector of the economy.

“In Africa, we need to have our digital circuits by building our own capacity for digital self-determination. We should not rely on other countries to be sending hardware and software to us because our goal is to build a better life for our citizens, and technology will help us achieve that,” he noted.

He concluded by calling for stronger coordination between governments, the private sector, and development partners to harmonise digital standards and scale innovation across the continent.

He said, “Africa’s advantage lies in our ability to leap, to build collaboratively, and to design technology for inclusion. If we build the digital rails together, our youth will drive Africa straight into the heart of the global digital economy.”

That was the core message from Kashifu Inuwa, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

During a high-level visit to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat in Abuja, Inuwa called for state and local governments to commit to a stronger partnership with the federal government.

He emphasized that digital transformation is a national vision that requires active participation from every corner of the country to succeed.

“Our mandate isn’t just federal, it’s truly national, which means it must embrace state and local governments,” Inuwa asserted. To make this partnership real, he urged governments to “strengthen collaborations that embed our initiatives directly within state and local structures.” The DG then showcased Nigeria’s immense digital leap: when NITDA began, fewer than 500,000 Nigerians used computers and ICT contributed less than 0.5% to the GDP. Today, that progress is undeniable, with over 130 million internet users and ICT now contributing more than 17% to the GDP.

According to him, this transformation was driven by strategic partnerships among government institutions, private organisations, and international development partners.

Inuwa reiterated NITDA’s vision of creating “a digitally empowered nation that uses technology to drive national prosperity,” anchored on the agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) built around eight key pillars.

He explained that the first pillar Fostering Digital Literacy and Cultivating Talent, remains a top priority. NITDA aims to achieve 70% digital literacy by 2027 and 95% by 2030, through initiatives such as the 3 million Tech Talent (3MTT) Programme and the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF).

Under the framework, the agency is working with the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to integrate digital skills training into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula nationwide.

Inuwa also announced ongoing collaborations with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to train civil servants and corps members through the NYSC Digital Literacy Champions Initiative, which is expected to reach over 10 million Nigerians annually, particularly in the informal sector.

“No one succeeds in isolation. We must work as an ecosystem to create prosperity and inclusivity through technology,” Inuwa added.

He also invited state governments to actively participate in NITDA’s upcoming International Conference on Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) and Digital Nigeria Conference, designed to foster cross-state learning and collaboration in digital governance.

Inuwa concluded by reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to leveraging partnerships to integrate technology into governance and enhance public service delivery at all levels.

In his remarks, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), described NITDA’s visit as a significant step toward strengthening intergovernmental collaboration in driving Nigeria’s digital economy agenda across all 36 states.

He commended NITDA’s leadership in advancing digital transformation, noting that technology has become a key enabler of competitiveness, opportunity, and inclusive development.

“We deeply appreciate your leadership and the critical role NITDA continues to play in advancing Nigeria’s digital economy. In an era where technology defines competitiveness and opportunity, your work stands at the heart of our nation’s transformation,” Shittu stated.

Dr. Shittu stressed that digital transformation goes beyond administrative efficiency, describing it as a “national imperative” capable of improving service delivery, expanding economic opportunities, and uplifting millions of Nigerians.

He highlighted the Forum’s ongoing efforts, including the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Readiness Report and the Intelligent Revenue Authority Readiness Report, which guide subnational reforms in digital identity, data exchange, payments, and trust systems.

“These reports are already shaping conversations and actions at the subnational level,” he noted, adding that collaboration on Technical Standards for DPI and the Nigeria Data Exchange Framework will further enhance interoperability and secure data sharing across government systems.

“With strong partnership and shared accountability, we will unlock a future where every Nigerian, urban or rural, has access to the tools and opportunities of the digital age,” he added.

Could you please give us a brief on your participation at the meetings today?

Thank you very much. We are here to share the transformative agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and how that transformation is driving rural prosperity in Nigeria. Even though the core of the theme of the conversation is around rural electrification using renewable energy but we look at it like the renewable energy is not the end goal. It is a fundamental enabler.

It is a catalyst for everything else because when there is power, connectivity follows. And when connectivity arrives, it ignites every other transformation. It empowers people with technology to achieve 10x leap in productivity and getting opportunities, efficiency and so on.

Artificial intelligence and the need for countries like Nigeria to reach that gap which is also at the core of engagement for young persons. What are the efforts from NITDA to reach this gap?

Our approaches. Yes, we have challenges. We have challenges in the area of energy and so on which at the battle of today we need to win. But fighting the battle of today should not take our attention away from shaping our future. The future is about technology. It is about AI.

AI is a general purpose technology. It’s going to be more powerful than electricity. It will transform everything we do from agriculture to finance to education to anything you can think of AI will transform it. So at NIDA we’ve been intentional and strategic when it comes to positioning Nigeria on how to lead in AI transformation.

We started by establishing a centre, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Then we crafted our national strategy because without strategy you won’t know your choices and you won’t have a direction.

But the strategy is giving us a direction on where we are going. And our vision is clear. It’s about building sustainable, responsible and inclusive AI system that will foster sustainable development across the country.

What is your vision for the Agency?

So our vision is to make Nigeria a digitally empowered nation, fostering inclusive economic growth through technological innovation. Technology on its own, it is not a vertical sector, but it permeates across horizontal every critical sector.

How can we use technology to enhance productivity and efficiency in agriculture, health, in finance, in education, in anything you can think of, trade, commerce, everything.

So today technology is pervasive, it’s integrated everywhere. So our vision as an agency is to catalyze that adoption and accelerating.

How do you see the agency evolving in the next five to 10 years, and what role will need to play in shaping the future of the Nigerian digital space?

So our strategy also is clear. As we win today, we need to shape the future. Technology evolves, and as it evolves, you need to evolve with it. So we have a strategic roadmap and action plan with eight strategic pillars.

The first one is to foster digital literacy and cultivate talent, which we are implementing to win the battle of today.

To create jobs for our citizens, to make sure every citizen has access to digital infrastructure and services. To make sure we use technology to drive national prosperity and inclusivity.

The second pillar is on creating robust technology research ecosystem, which is more futuristic.

The first one is to help us win today and the second one is to shape our tomorrow, where we focus on AI, that’s the Artificial intelligence, Robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, UAV, and AI. That’s the six technologies we are looking at. They are all general-purpose technology. They cut across all economic sectors, and they can drive growth and national prosperity.

Do you have trust issues with your stakeholders? And if you do, how do you build that trust?

So for me personally, my leadership philosophy is about trust because I believe that when there is trust, everything will become simple. So as an ecosystem, government is working with everyone, and we are reinventing our social contract with the ecosystem.

We are engaging them. We are co-creating and co-designing everything. The President is clear. He wants to build an economy that is private sector-led, but government-enabled.

So to achieve that is not something government will sit in the office, use armchair theory to come up with policies and regulation. But government engages the ecosystem players to co-create and co-design policies and regulations.

So that’s what will help us to rebuild the trust because already we have trust deficits. We were coming from a situation whereby governments and private sector were not engaging.

We’re playing blame game. But today we are in a situation whereby government and private sector sit together in a room to co-design and co-create initiatives. And we jointly own and implement those initiatives.

To strengthen that, the president also approved a new PPP policy where government can use private sector funds to build infrastructure that can create value and drive national prosperity and inclusivity.

So at the digital sector also, we are exploring this. How can we use private sector to build digital public infrastructure? One key example is Project Bridge launched by our minister to roll 90,000 fibre optics kilometres. Another one is our Digital Literacy for All, which we are partnering with private sector to develop our national digital fluency. When you do that, you have more users.

Our citizens will embrace technology and use it. That can create value. When value is created, private sector captures the values.

Can you please share some stories on NITDA transformation initiatives and how it has impacted Nigeria

NITDA was established in 2001 to implement the national IT policy. When the agency was established, less than 500,000 Nigerians were using computers. And ICT was contributing less than 0.5% of our GDP.

But today, we have more than 130 million Nigerians with access to the internet. That means they are not just using computers, but they have access to the internet, which is more than 51% of our population. And today, ICT is contributing more than 17% of our GDP.

So look at this. And this is just ICT, not digital economy because when you talk about digital economy, it’s beyond ICT.

Digital economy is any economy that has been stimulated by technology. Today, you cannot talk about finance sector without technology. You cannot talk about entertainment without technology. Everything, technology is embedded.

So if you can rebase the GDP contribution, digital economy contribution will be more than that 17%. Then part of the recent success stories of NITDA is like the data protection, which has created an industry and led to establishing a new autonomous commission.

The president signed the Nigerian Data Protection Act into law in 2023. And also our approach to building our digital sovereignty because also as a nation, we need to have a capacity for our digital self-determination.

Today, we don’t control our data. We don’t control the systems we use. We don’t even have digital infrastructure that can help us to succeed in the future. So we are working with the private sector as well to come up with policies that can help us create the enabling environment for us to achieve our digital sovereignty as a nation.

How do you plan to address digital divide in Nigeria, ensuring that everyone has access and opportunity to digital?

So we look at digital divide from two angles. Firstly, the access. The accessibility of the digital technology and the second one is the literacy because access without literacy is meaningless.

We want people to have the technology and use it meaningfully. In the area of access, we do a lot of intervention in building digital economy centres around the country.

From 2023 to date, we’ve built over 220 digital economy centres. And our target is before 2027, we are going to build over 500 centres. And we also have an initiative, Project 774, where we want to have at least a centre in every local government.

We have worked with the Ministry of Education to develop digital literacy and skills curriculum, which has been approved and the president has directed for implementation to start immediately. Now we are training teachers on how to start teaching digital literacy and skills.

We’ve done a proof of concept with some universities on making digital literacy a general studies in universities and now we are working with NUC to mainstream that, to make digital literacy a general studies the same way every student take English and mathematics.

Now you must take digital literacy and skills. We are also partnering with NYSC to ensure that every Nigerian, the market women, the motor park workers, our senior citizens, people in the religious places have basic digital literacy as well. Then the third one is about the workforce readiness.

We want all public servants as well to be digitally literate. We are already implementing this also in partnership with Office of the Head of Civil Service. It is already a mandatory skills requirement for anybody to join public service today.

And if you are already in the service, it’s a requirement for you to get promotion. So this is the way we are ensuring or working to make sure we bridge the digital divide in Nigeria to drive rural prosperity.

What plans do you have for children?

So we have many initiatives to catch them young.  Like the first one I mentioned is integrating it into our formal education because from kindergarten to tertiary institutions, digital literacy and skills will be part of the formal education.

So as they go through the education journey, they will be empowered with what they need to know. Then in addition to that, all those centres we have, we run programmes, mostly during vacations where we empower these children with the basic digital skills as well as to expose them to the technology.

Then we have other initiatives for the teen and young adult where they can join to build skills as well as to challenge them to come up with innovative solutions.

Like we have the Idea Hatch, which runs across the country where we get younger people with innovative ideas, place them for a three to six month programme in an innovation hub to help them turn those ideas into products and services.

The target for that initiative is at the end of the programme, you have a product ready for market or at least you develop your minimum viable product that you can go to anywhere and accelerate it. And we do this in partnership with some stakeholders like JICA, which they provide a seed fund for the best students.

As well as also help them with international exposure. Recently during the Japan Africa Summit in Tokyo, they sponsored about six young startups, mostly women because we have the Idea Hatch and we have an Ignite initiative, which targeted women.

The Idea Hatch is for everyone, but because also we have a gender inclusion strategy. That focusses more on achieving parity between men and women. We have other initiatives focussing specifically to women.

How is NITDA supporting innovations and entrepreneurship in the Nigerian eco-tech system?

We have the Nigerian Startup Act, which is the legal and institutional framework we use to support innovation. The Act also was co-designed and co-created with the ecosystem. It was not just government sitting in the office coming up with legislation.

We co-created it together. The Act has a roadmap and helps the startup to orchestrate their journey from ideation to impact. So, part of the institutional framework is to have the consultative forum, which has been established where startups have been registered.

They have an online community because we also developed the startup engagement portal. They use that portal to engage as an online community.

Through the portal, they have selected their own leaders that will represent them at the National Digital Economy and Innovation Council.

The Council will be chaired by Mr. President. The Vice President is the Vice Chair. Under the Council, we have many ministers, including the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, while NITDA is the Secretariat. Through that Council, we will be presenting policy proposals that will help create and shape activities within the startup ecosystem.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the Nigerian digital economy and how is NITDA addressing them? That will also include cybersecurity and energy equity.

Major challenges are around talent, infrastructure, access to capital, and risk. In terms of the talent, technology or talent is the people component of technology. Technology makes our lives better, but people make the technology better. For you to build a thriving digital ecosystem, you need to have that talent pool. That’s the reason we are integrating digital skills into our formal education.

Also, we have an initiative, a talent acceleration programme with 3 million tech talents, which we are using as a stock gap to create the talent pool that will help us build our digital offerings. In the area of capital, it’s also a big challenge because we don’t have people in Nigeria that provide a patient capital for these innovators. We don’t have people investing in innovation.

Most of our investors invest in the conventional sector, where there is a hedging and risking mechanism. Most of the capital today comes from the West, but the U.S. in particular. That framework is creating some patient capital. We are also creating capital for impact.

Recently, through our partnership with JICA, we are creating a patient fund of about 14 million U.S. dollars, which is going to be for impact. Other initiatives of Mr. President, like the youth entrepreneurship and innovation bank, which is going to be an initiative supported by African development banks and other development partners. It is going to establish a fund that will help provide capital for the innovation ecosystem.

Also, we have the IDICE, which has reached an advanced stage in terms of implementation. All these initiatives will help us address the capital challenge. The third one is infrastructure. We have an infrastructure deficit. Mostly, you get this infrastructure in big cities like Lagos and Abuja. For us to succeed and drive national prosperity, we need to democratise access to this infrastructure across the country. That’s why we are rolling the connectivity project.

We are pushing for hyperscalers to come and build the compute power within Nigeria. We are also coming up with policies that will help us to have a clean data set and open data, because you need data to innovate. We have the National Data Strategy. We have established the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, and we have a legislation, the Act.

We are driving data classification now. That will help us also to know what can go into the public cloud and what can stay in-country. These are the challenges, and what we are doing to address those challenges so that we can create an enabling environment for technical innovation.

Aside JICA, what other notable partnerships have you been able to choose from?

We have many partners we are working with locally and international partners. I mentioned JICA. We are working with COICA. We are working with big techs like Cisco.

It’s helping us building content for all the digital literacy initiatives. They are doing it as part of the CSR. We are not paying for it.

Our citizens can go and take the courses online and globally recognised certificates, and it counts for the degree programme.

We are partnering with Google, Microsoft, and we are partnering with even Huawei from China and other development partners like DCO, the Digital Corporation Organisation.

We are partnering with ITU to do some events and activities. And before also, we worked even with the World Bank to implement some initiatives targeted at women. Okay, I was going to talk about women. Before also, we have an IGNITE initiative, which is supported by JICA.

We also have initiatives we are doing with GIZ. Like today, we are launching an initiative in partnership with GIZ and the umbrella body of traders in Nigeria, which is about digital trust mark.

Then we also partner with EU and FCDO from UK. We’ve worked with USAID from the U.S. before, and even the U.S. government. We have very good relationships.

So we have a broad list of partners. We work together, both from international organisations and local ones.

Looking at all what you’re doing with the agency, at what point would you say you have achieved your aims and objectives?

For me, I see it as an infinite gap. It doesn’t have a clear end line. When we reach the objectives of today, we are going to set the goals for tomorrow.

So it keeps evolving because when you have a finite target, that means you will not strive continuously. So we have our leadership principles.

For everything we do, we make clarity. We unleash energy. We build trust. We win today, and we share tomorrow.

Speaking on the theme “Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Ambition and Path to Sustainability,” Inuwa stated that Nigeria’s digital ambition transcends the physical construction of data centers or the laying of fiber-optic cables, it is about designing and building a new societal fabric, a new economic operating system for Nigeria founded on inclusivity, resilience, security, and digital prosperity.

Inuwa explained that the nation’s digital vision rests on two key components: the Shared Digital Backbone and the Operational Backbone.

The Shared Digital Backbone represents the hardware layer, including terrestrial fiber optics, subsea cables, green data centers, and sovereign cloud services that secure Nigeria’s data and ensure digital sovereignty.

The Operational Backbone, which forms the software layer, refers to Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), a suite of interoperable systems that include digital identity, payment frameworks, and secure data exchange platforms.

Together, they create a unified national digital ecosystem that empowers startups to develop homegrown solutions tailored to Nigeria’s unique socio-economic context.

Citing the recent global cloud outage experienced by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which disrupted digital operations across several African nations, he stressed the importance of digital independence.

“This incident reminds us that relying solely on foreign cloud regions does not ensure business continuity or digital independence. We must build the capacity for digital self-determination,” he asserted.

Inuwa noted that achieving Nigeria’s digital ambition requires more than technology, it demands strong, forward-looking policies that encourage innovation while safeguarding consumers.

Outlining Nigeria’s path to sustainability, Inuwa identified three foundational pillars: Policy, People, and Partnerships.

Under the Policy Pillar, he explained that Nigeria is building a predictable, pro-innovation regulatory environment that fosters growth and investor confidence. Through the Nigeria Startup Act and Data Protection Act, the government has laid the groundwork for a stable digital market that safeguards rights while encouraging innovation.

On the People Pillar, he noted that no infrastructure can thrive without the human talent to sustain it. Through the National Digital Literacy Framework and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, Nigeria is building a self-sustaining talent engine that empowers citizens to design, innovate, and drive the country’s digital future.

Under the Partnership Pillar, Inuwa reiterated the need for strategic collaboration with global partners. He highlighted that Nigeria is moving from ad-hoc relationships to structured partnerships that promote joint ventures, attract investment, and co-develop technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He revealed several major projects that are transforming this ambition into action. On infrastructure, the Project BRIDGE initiative is expanding Nigeria’s terrestrial fibre network to 125,000 kilometres through public-private partnerships, while the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative is fostering a competitive data storage ecosystem within Nigerian jurisdiction.

On the software side, the Nigeria Stack is driving nationwide digital identity, payments, and data exchange systems, while the OneGOV platform will unify all government services under a single digital window.

He also cited ongoing efforts at the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), which is leading applied AI innovation through initiatives like the AI Collective and N-ATLAS, Nigeria’s indigenous large language model project.

He further called for greater collaboration within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and stronger international partnerships, and particularly identified the Nordic region as a key ally in Nigeria’s digital journey, citing opportunities to leverage Nordic expertise in technology and innovation while offering Nigeria’s vast talent pool and creative potential in return.

Inuwa reaffirmed that Nigeria’s digital transformation rests on three foundational pillars: robust digital infrastructure, human capital development, and strategic partnerships.

“With clear vision, deliberate strategy, and inclusive policy frameworks, we are confident that Nigeria will not only achieve digital sustainability, we will lead Africa’s digital transformation,” he declared.