FG’s Digital Economy Reforms Drive Skills Development, Innovation and Digital Infrastructure – NITDA DG

FG’s Digital Economy Reforms Drive Skills Development, Innovation and Digital Infrastructure – NITDA DG

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is advancing Nigeria’s digital economy through strategic investments in digital skills development, technology talent creation, innovation financing, broadband connectivity and emerging technologies, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, has said.

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE gave an opening keynote at the Global Tech Africa 2026 in Kano

Inuwa stated this at the Global Tech Africa event in Kano, themed “Connecting Africa, Accelerating Growth,” where he outlined the Federal Government’s initiatives to develop indigenous technological capacity, strengthen the innovation ecosystem and position Nigeria as a leading digital hub across Africa.

He explained that the administration’s approach recognises human capital as a critical foundation for economic transformation, with several initiatives introduced to prepare Nigerians for opportunities in an increasingly technology-driven economy.

Among these interventions are the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, which seeks to develop a skilled technology workforce, and the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, which aims to equip citizens with the foundational digital competencies required to participate in the digital economy.

He noted that the Federal Government is also integrating digital skills into formal education, from kindergarten to tertiary institutions, to prepare future generations to develop indigenous solutions and compete in the global technology market.

Through DL4ALL, the government is pursuing an ambitious target of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, ensuring that Nigerians across different communities and economic sectors can access, understand and utilise digital services.

According to him, digital transformation must go beyond providing internet access and smartphones to creating a progression from connectivity and digital literacy to technology adoption, productivity and national prosperity. He explained that technology should enable citizens, businesses and traders to improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, expand markets and generate economic value.

On innovation financing, Inuwa disclosed that NITDA, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), is working towards establishing six funds to support startups developing innovative solutions. He also identified the Bank of Industry and other development finance institutions as important sources of funding for entrepreneurs.

At the Global Tech Africa 2026 in Kano, the Director General, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa joined a team of creatives in group photograph.

He called for increased private-sector participation in financing innovation, noting that government funding alone cannot sustain a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Private investors can provide not only capital but also equity partnerships, corporate governance, business expertise and leadership to help startups grow, he explained.

The Inuwa further stated that the Federal Government’s digital infrastructure agenda includes expanding broadband connectivity through plans to extend fibre-optic infrastructure across all 774 Local Government Areas, the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Building on these interventions, he explained that Nigeria must develop sufficient domestic computing capacity to complement its connectivity investments. This informed NITDA’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative, which seeks to strengthen the country’s computing infrastructure, promote digital sovereignty and ensure that data generated within Nigeria can be securely processed and stored locally.

Describing data centres as the refineries of the digital economy, Inuwa noted that they provide the computing capacity required to transform raw data into valuable insights, products and services.

He maintained that Nigeria must develop the capacity to own and control these critical digital assets to reduce dependence on foreign computing infrastructure and position the country as the computing hub for West and Central Africa.

On artificial intelligence, he observed that Africa accounts for less than two per cent of the data used to train AI models, raising concerns about the continent’s representation in emerging technologies. He called for increased local participation in developing Large Language Models (LLMs) and other AI solutions that capture Nigeria’s languages, cultures and socioeconomic realities.

Using Kano as an example, the NITDA DG called for renewed efforts to restore the state’s historic position as a major commercial centre for the Sahel region through digital technology, modern trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He observed that e-commerce and changing business models have disrupted traditional trading patterns, allowing customers in neighbouring countries to purchase goods online without travelling to Kano. However, he maintained that the city has significant opportunities to reclaim its commercial influence by leveraging digital platforms to connect North Africa and the Middle East with sub-Saharan Africa.