NITDA Nigeria

NITDA DG Champions Ethical Technology Governance at IGF 2024 During the 19th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, advocated for ethical and responsible governance of digital technology in Africa. Addressing global leaders at the event, themed “Building Our Multi-stakeholder Digital Future,” Inuwa lamented the unregulated rise of social media and the risks it posed, citing cases like the Cambridge Analytica scandal as a wake-up call for stricter digital oversight. Inuwa highlighted Nigeria’s approach in tackling digital challenges through its Code of Practice (COP), a framework ensuring social media platforms adhere to Nigerian laws and respect cultural contexts. He noted that the COP has enabled efficient content moderation, with over 60 million harmful posts removed in 2024 alone, while wrongly flagged content was reinstated. This approach has also driven economic gains, with tech companies contributing more than 2.5 trillion naira in VAT within six months. He urged African nations to unite in shaping global technology governance, stressing the importance of building digital sovereignty and strengthening regional capacities.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its subsidiary, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), continued its efforts to promote the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) and foster digital innovation through engaging key players in the startup ecosystem within the Federal Capital Territory. With the theme “Paving the Way for the Nigerian Startup Act Adoption in FCT,” the event was designed to raise awareness, facilitate discussions, and promote collaborations that would accelerate the adoption and implementation of the Nigerina Startup Act (NSA) . This aligned with NITDA’s mission to empower startups, create opportunities for innovation, and position Nigeria as a global leader in the digital economy.

In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration's Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has organised a workshop on IT Penetration Evaluation and Assessment for States (IPEAS), in Kano State. The initiative which brought together key stakeholders from government institutions to deliberate on strategies to deepen IT adoption and utilisation and explore ways to boost innovation, serves as a platform for collaboration to enable evaluation of IT maturity level in the Nigerian States by providing global visibility to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The workshop objective focuses on monitoring IT trends at the state level, increasing FDI opportunities, harnessing untapped resources, assessing the status of NITDA projects, rate states based on their IT maturity levels, bridge the digital divide, and align IT initiatives with economic growth and national development objectives.

At the 19th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), themed “Building our Multi-stakeholder Digital Future,” Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of NITDA, championed digital sovereignty for Developing and Least Developed Countries (DLDCs). Speaking on “Addressing the Challenges of Digital Sovereignty in DLDCs,” he highlighted strategies for data localisation, security, and infrastructure in Africa. Inuwa clarified distinctions between data sovereignty, residency, and localisation, emphasising that sovereignty ensures national control over data, laws, and technology. He cited Nigeria’s achievements, including a data classification framework and collaboration with global hyper-scalers to build local data centres, safeguarding sensitive data within national borders. He also stressed the risks of shared cloud infrastructure for critical services and advocated for separate cloud sub-units for key sectors like defense and intelligence, and urged African nations to attract hyper-scalers, leveraging the continent’s energy resources, land, and skilled workforce to localise data and drive economic growth. The IGF provided a valuable platform for Inuwa to share Nigeria's experiences and insights on digital sovereignty with the global community.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its subsidiary, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), has continued its drive to promote the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) and enhance digital innovation through awareness campaigns within the country’s startup ecosystem. During the State Domestication Tour, the team engaged key stakeholders in Ibadan, Oyo State, including investors, policymakers, and ecosystem players. Discussions centred on establishing a Startup Bill for the state, where participants exchanged ideas and expertise on effective strategies, best practices, and implementation processes. The tour also included visits to notable innovation hubs and centres in Ibadan, such as the Centre for Entrepreneur and Innovation, O’dua Sketch Tech and Innovation Hub, Creciment Hub, Cafe One, and DreamPod Innovation Hub.

"NITDA CHAMPIONING DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY AT THE GLOBAL STAGE” The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, participated in the 19th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The forum, themed “Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future,” brought together global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss critical issues shaping the digital landscape. During the session titled “Digital Transformation and Sovereignty: A Route to Autarchy,” Inuwa underscored NITDA’s commitment to developing a robust national cybersecurity architecture and fostering inclusive policymaking. He emphasised the importance of balancing digital sovereignty with global interconnectedness. By sharing Nigeria’s experiences and insights, Inuwa contributed to the global discourse on digital governance. The IGF provided a valuable platform to collaborate with international stakeholders and explore innovative solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. The session's closing message stressed the importance of collaboration across all sectors and regions to maintain the internet as a global resource. Stakeholders from digitally transformed, high-risk areas shared their experiences, offering strategies to balance digital sovereignty with the need for global interconnectedness.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its subsidiary, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), has successfully concluded the 2024 Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge. The competition encouraged young, talented Nigerians to develop innovative solutions for critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and transportation. Aligned with the President's Renewed Hope Agenda, the challenge aimed to foster a vibrant digital ecosystem and empower young innovators to address societal challenges. Team "Inframappers" emerged as the winner of the innovation challenge, winning a cash prize of ₦5 million. NITDA's Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, who was represented by the Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions Department, Mr Oladejo Olawumi, reiterated the agency's commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. Through initiatives like the Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge, NITDA empowers young Nigerians to become drivers of technological advancement and economic growth.

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PRESS RELEASE!!! "NITDA and API Release Whitepaper on the Framework for an Online Harms Protection Bill" The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is pleased to announce the release of a Whitepaper on the Framework for an Online Harms Protection Bill in Nigeria. To download or read the whitepaper, please visit the link or scan the QR code below." https://lnkd.in/dmVQc5xj

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