This was disclosed during a working visit centred on Nigeria’s startup ecosystem framework, where Kashifu Inuwa, the director General of NITDA, was represented by the Director of Stakeholders Management and Partnerships, Dr Aristotle Onumo.

Speaking during the visit, the DG said NITDA was established to drive coordinated and sustainable information technology development in Nigeria, leveraging both its regulatory and developmental mandates, serving as an ecosystem orchestrator that fosters collaboration, innovation, and growth across the digital economy.

He stated that these reforms are aligned with the Federal Government’s Eight-Point Agenda and reflected in NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), which is built around eight strategic pillars designed to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

According to him, a key objective of the roadmap is to position Nigeria as a technologically driven nation that promotes inclusive economic development through innovation. He highlighted digital literacy as a major priority, with NITDA targeting 70 percent digital literacy by 2027 under the National Digital Literacy Framework, with a long-term goal of achieving 95 percent by 2030.

Other priority areas, he said, include ecosystem development, IT talent advancement, expansion of digital infrastructure, policy implementation, and research-driven innovation.

The visiting delegation from Angola’s National Institute of Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (INAPEM), led by Chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) and Chief Executive Officer, Bráulio Augusto, commended Nigeria’s progress in implementing the Nigeria Startup Act and described the country as a valuable model for shaping Angola’s own startup legislation.

Augusto disclosed that Angola’s Startup Law has received initial parliamentary approval and is now entering the implementation stage.

He expressed interest in understanding how Nigeria transitioned from legal adoption to practical execution, particularly in areas such as startup labelling, incentive management, ecosystem mapping, investor registration, and the operation of the Nigeria Startup Portal.

According to him, Angola is currently developing the Startup Angola Programme under its Digital Entrepreneurship Support Programme, aimed at building a structured and integrated startup ecosystem rather than isolated interventions.

The programme will focus on institutional strengthening, startup funding, support for business development service providers, expansion of innovation hubs, and partnerships with international accelerators.

He added that Nigeria’s experience is especially relevant as Angola seeks solutions to challenges including informality, limited access to finance, youth unemployment, digital inclusion gaps, and restricted market access for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The INAPEM chief also requested further technical insights into Nigeria’s National Startup Council, its member selection process, and the governance structure of the Nigeria Startup Portal.

The visit highlights growing collaboration among African nations in digital policy development and further reinforces Nigeria’s position as a reference point in shaping startup ecosystem frameworks across the continent.

SMEDAN has approximately 40 million small businesses spread across Nigeria and they are responsible for 50 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and 70 million jobs.

The DG made this known while receiving Charles Odii, the director general of SMEDAN who was on a courtesy visit to the Agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The purpose of the visit was to seek partnership in terms of infrastructural and human capital development for SMEs in Nigeria. To also submit a memorandum of understanding (MoU) where both Agencies can align and invite DG NITDA to SMEDAN for further discussions.

Inuwa revealed that there were opportunities for collaboration between NITDA and SMEDAN as stated in the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0) like the first pillar which is to foster Digital Literacy and cultivate talents.

He said the collaboration will facilitate the penetration of digital literacy among Small and Medium Entreprise (SMEs) to enhance productivity. He added that it also aligns with the objective of the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF).

“We all know that with digital literacy a market woman can sell her goods without moving from one place to another, as someone can use digital platforms to order for goods and have them delivered to them.”

The DG NITDA stated that the collaboration is apt as it will strengthen policy implementation and legal frameworks like the Nigerian Startup Act.

Inuwa said SMEs make up about 90 percent of the country’s workforce and more than 90 percent of businesses, saying;

“We really want to work with you, to explore how we can get them (SMEs) to benefit from all the incentives within the Startup Act and we target those who use innovation to promote productivity or innovation-driven entreprises.”

Inuwa citing ISF said that there are more than 100 IT hubs in Nigeria and less than 50 percent of these centres are being utilised. He revealed that both Agencies can utilize these IT hubs as infrastructure for the unserved and underserved areas, which aligns with a pillar of the SRAP 2.0 which is to promote inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services.

“We can come together and decide a benchmark on what an IT hub should look like so that it can properly serve the people.”

On strengthening cybersecurity and digital trust he said “We need to look at how we can come up with cybersecurity solutions for SMEs that will promote digital trust by having SMEs that provide affordable and indigenous cybersecurity services.

Emphasis on another pillar that is SME-centric which is to nurture an innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem he said “We need to come up with ways to promote innovation and entrepreneurship thereby fostering a dynamic ecosystem that propels economic growth.

Speaking earlier, Odii said that the Agency has a couple of digital literacy programmes they had started, and they were at NITDA to have their curriculum looked at to see if it meets global standards and to be sure that it aligns with the NDLF.

Odii in terms of the Startup Act said,

“We understand that NITDA is the secretariat for the Startup Act, and we want to work with you in sensitising them (SMEs), especially those of them who are startups to take advantage of this and also help to add to your database for registration.”

He said:

“We have a robust SME database that we are building, and we would like to partner with you to make sure that the framework for this database is in line with what you have for data entrepreneurs.