By Fatimah Yusuf Usman
If Nigeria ever wanted proof that purposeful governance can beginning progress, then the previous two years of the Nationwide Data Expertise Growth Company (NITDA) supply robust proof.
In an period the place many public establishments stay caught in paperwork and noise, NITDA has quietly—however impactfully—demonstrated what it means to work with imaginative and prescient, readability, and outcomes.
Underneath the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the company has develop into one of many few glowing examples of what’s doable when a authorities physique aligns its mission with the true wants of its folks.
From empowering grassroots communities with digital instruments to reengineering how authorities approaches tech regulation, NITDA has helped steer Nigeria nearer to the promise of a completely digital economic system.
And it’s doing so with out pointless fanfare.
Empowering Minds, One Talent…
Certainly one of NITDA’s most profound legacies is its clear devotion to empowering the Nigerian folks with digital abilities—not simply in principle, however with deliberate motion.
The “Digital Literacy for All Initiative (DL4ALL)” isn’t just a marketing campaign slogan; it’s a boots-on-the-ground motion that has already skilled over 152,790 Nigerians throughout 12 states. That isn’t a quantity plucked from stories—it’s lives modified, desires reborn, and futures redirected.
The “One Million Builders” undertaking has added one other layer, grooming a era of coders, creators, and significant thinkers. These packages will not be elitist—they attain the distant corners of the nation.
Over 1,500 digital studying facilities have been rolled out in underserved areas, displaying that tech growth will not be just for the city elite. Whether or not in Kano or Kogi, Nigerians are getting linked to the long run.
Coverage that Makes Sense
For an company usually dismissed up to now as an “IT compliance physique,” NITDA has flipped the script. It now leads with considerate coverage, related frameworks, and financial savings that talk volumes.
With the retooling of its IT Undertaking Clearance Pointers, the company has saved the federal government over ₦311 billion. That isn’t simply prudent administration—it’s fiscal patriotism.
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The launch of the Strategic Roadmap and Motion Plan (SRAP 2.0) has proven that this company will not be flying blind. The whole lot is anchored in construction, technique, and sustainability.
And past roadmaps, it’s initiating vital insurance policies round Synthetic Intelligence and digital security, laying strong bricks for Nigeria’s tech future earlier than we even arrive there.
Innovation from the Floor Up
For startups, inventors, and the tech-inclined youth, NITDA has develop into an establishment that listens and lifts.
By the Nationwide Adopted Village for Good Agriculture (NAVSA), it’s displaying how innovation can meet agriculture and create over 5,000 jobs within the course of. That isn’t principle—it’s measurable affect.
With the Nigeria Startup Act now operational, the inspiration for authorized and institutional assist for tech entrepreneurs has been laid.
Add to that the rising world presence of Nigerian startups at occasions like GITEX and LEAP—due to NITDA’s backing—and it turns into clear that this isn’t nearly regulation, however actual acceleration.
The Man on the Helm
A lot of this renewed power could be traced to Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the company’s Director-Common. His management isn’t just about occupying an workplace—it’s about utilizing it.
His method is hands-on, deliberate, and people-focused. He understands the urgency of this second and responds with readability and braveness. In contrast to many, he isn’t just reacting to the digital age—he’s making ready Nigeria to steer in it.
From placing significant partnerships to instituting reforms that prioritize human capital, Kashifu’s management exhibits what occurs when public servants will not be content material with mediocrity.
Underneath him, NITDA has reworked from a back-office regulator right into a frontrunner in Nigeria’s digital future.
The Street Forward
As Nigeria inches towards turning into a digital-first economic system, establishments like NITDA develop into much more vital. The work will not be performed—however the blueprint is obvious.
With sustained assist, stronger collaborations, and a people-centered method, the following section of NITDA’s journey may redefine not simply our tech area, however our nationwide identification.
In a rustic hungry for hope and outcomes, NITDA is proving that progress isn’t just doable—it’s already taking place. Quietly. Purposefully. Powerfully.
Fatimah Yusuf Usman writes from PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. She could be reached by way of: [email protected].
