The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has called on state governors to strengthen collaboration with the federal government in accelerating technology-driven inclusive growth across Nigeria.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has called on state governors to strengthen collaboration with the federal government in accelerating technology-driven inclusive growth across Nigeria.
Inuwa made the call during a high-level visit to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat in Abuja, where he emphasized that digital transformation must be pursued as a shared national vision involving all levels of government.
“Our mandate isn’t just federal—it’s truly national, which means it must embrace state and local governments,” he stated, urging subnational governments to embed NITDA’s digital initiatives directly within their structures to drive measurable impact.
Highlighting Nigeria’s digital evolution, Inuwa noted that when NITDA was established, less than 500,000 Nigerians used computers and ICT contributed below 0.5% to the nation’s GDP. Today, ICT accounts for over 17% of GDP with more than 130 million internet users nationwide.
He attributed this progress to strategic partnerships among government institutions, private organisations, and development partners, and reaffirmed NITDA’s vision of creating a “digitally empowered nation that uses technology to drive national prosperity.”
Inuwa outlined NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP), anchored on eight key pillars, with “Fostering Digital Literacy and Cultivating Talent” as a top priority. The agency targets 70% digital literacy by 2027 and 95% by 2030 through initiatives such as the 3 Million Tech Talent (3MTT) Programme and the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF).
He disclosed ongoing collaborations with the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to integrate digital skills training across all levels of education, as well as with the Head of the Civil Service and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to train civil servants and corps members.
“No one succeeds in isolation. We must work as an ecosystem to create prosperity and inclusivity through technology,” Inuwa said, while inviting governors to participate in the upcoming International Conference on Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) and the Digital Nigeria Conference.
In his response, the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, commended NITDA’s leadership, describing the visit as a vital step toward strengthening intergovernmental collaboration on Nigeria’s digital economy agenda.
“Technology defines competitiveness and opportunity. NITDA’s leadership stands at the heart of our nation’s transformation,” Shittu said, noting that the Forum’s initiatives, such as the Digital Public Infrastructure Readiness Report and the Intelligent Revenue Authority Readiness Report, were already shaping subnational digital reforms.
He stressed that digital transformation is a “national imperative” capable of improving governance, creating jobs, and uplifting millions of Nigerians.