By Stella Odueme
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem to strengthen partnerships and sustain collaboration to accelerate the country’s digital transformation agenda.
The agency said effective implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 (SRAP 2.0) required collective commitment, continuous engagement and contributions from relevant stakeholders.
NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, made the call during the SRAP 2.0 Stakeholders’ Engagement held at Lagos Business School, Lagos State. He was represented by the Director of Special Duties Directorate, Dr Aristotle Onumo.
Inuwa in a statement by the Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Hadiza Umar, on Tuesday, commended Lagos Business School for sustaining its partnership with the agency, noting that collaboration and shared expertise were essential to achieving lasting progress in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
He explained that SRAP 2.0 was developed through extensive consultations with stakeholders, including members of Lagos Business School, stressing that their involvement remained critical to evaluating the roadmap’s implementation and outcomes.
According to him, the engagement was designed to review progress, assess the relevance of existing priorities, identify areas requiring adjustments and measure the impact of NITDA’s programmes.
He added that the exercise would also enable the agency to determine how well it had fulfilled its commitments and ensure that its interventions continued to address the evolving needs of the digital ecosystem.
The director-general said NITDA was transitioning from its traditional regulatory approach towards becoming an ecosystem platform that promotes digital innovation through collaboration and co-creation.
He explained that the agency was increasingly working with stakeholders to develop and implement digital solutions rather than relying solely on regulations, directives and guidelines.
According to him, the approach would foster an enabling environment for innovation and ensure that digital initiatives delivered wider economic and social benefits.
Inuwa noted that NITDA had spent the past three years advancing the transformation and was approaching its final phase, urging stakeholders to renew their commitment to sustaining the progress made.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to building a digitally enabled Nigeria where technology drives inclusive economic development.
He said the eight strategic pillars of SRAP 2.0 remained central to achieving the vision, urging stakeholders to assess progress in key areas, including digital skills development, regulatory effectiveness, digital infrastructure and services, entrepreneurship, innovation and startup ecosystem development.
Inuwa also called for a critical assessment of the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act to determine its effectiveness in strengthening the startup community and promoting innovation-driven enterprises.
On stakeholder engagement, he emphasised the importance of ensuring that all relevant participants in the digital ecosystem remained actively involved in implementing the roadmap.
He expressed confidence that sustained collaboration, shared responsibility and constructive feedback would help NITDA address emerging challenges, improve programme delivery and advance the country’s digital development goals.
The director-general urged participants to embrace the partnership-driven approach, noting that collective efforts would support the emergence of a digitally enabled Nigeria capable of driving digital transformation across Africa.