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The Nigerian government has been advised to form digital alliances across the world to unlock inclusive growth for all Nigerians
This was the core message from the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi during a high-level visit to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) secretariat in Abuja. Abdullahi called for state and local governments to commit to stronger partnerships with the federal government. He stressed that digital transformation is a national vision that requires the active participation of every part of the country to succeed.
“Our mandate isn’t just federal — it’s truly national, which means it must embrace state and local governments,” Abdullahi stated. To make this partnership real, he urged governments to “strengthen collaborations that embed our initiatives directly within state and local structures.” He highlighted Nigeria’s digital progress, noting that when NITDA began, fewer than 500,000 Nigerians used computers and ICT contributed less than 0.5 per cent to the GDP. Today, that figure has grown impressively, with over 130 million internet users and ICT contributing more than 17 per cent to the GDP.
According to him, this transformation was achieved through strategic partnerships among government institutions, private organisations and international development partners. Abdullahi 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 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent 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 partnering 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.
Abdullahi 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,” Abdullahi said.
He invited state governments to 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. He concluded by reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to leveraging partnerships to integrate technology into governance and enhance public service delivery at all levels.
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