The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and global tech giant Google have reaffirmed their joint commitment to transforming Nigeria into a regional leader in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity across West Africa.
According to a statement published on NITDA’s official X account on Saturday, the initiative aims to establish a secure, inclusive, and innovative digital economy.
The post indicated that the pledge was made during a series of strategic follow-up meetings held on Friday between NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, and Marcus Jadotte, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy (Cloud) at Google, along with other senior government officials.
The high-level tour included visits to key figures in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, such as the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
NITDA noted that the tour aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda to harness digital transformation for national development.
“These strategic engagements aim to harness digitalisation to promote economic and societal development, enhance public service delivery through smart technologies, strengthen digital education infrastructure, advance national cybersecurity resilience, and support cloud adoption to optimise government technology costs,” the agency said.
NITDA and Google also highlighted plans to modernise the country’s education system using AI-powered learning platforms and digital tools to equip students with relevant skills for the future.
“The collaboration seeks to bridge the skills gap and create a future-ready workforce,” the statement added.
Through the partnership, NITDA stated that Nigeria is expected to benefit from reduced public sector technology spending, increased workforce productivity, improved public service delivery, enhanced national security, and greater foreign investment, which will drive sustainable economic growth.
