By Stella Odueme
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has urged technology companies, academic institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in developing digital skills that meet industry demands and drive Nigeria’s economic growth.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made the call at the MTN Breakfast Session, themed “When Transnationals Invest”, during the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES32) in Abuja.
According to the Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, on Wednesday, he identified the disconnect between educational institutions and industry as a major challenge to developing a workforce capable of responding to evolving technological and economic demands.
Inuwa stressed that a coordinated approach to digital skills development was necessary to ensure that graduates acquired practical competencies relevant to employers and the changing labour market.
“Our human capital is our greatest national resource,” he said, emphasising the importance of aligning educational programmes with industry needs.
According to him, NITDA’s digital literacy drive is focused on equipping Nigerians with the skills to use technology effectively in their daily activities and workplaces, rather than turning everyone into an IT professional.
He explained that the agency was implementing the National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.
The targets, he said, require sustained partnerships among government agencies, private-sector organisations, educational institutions and other players in the innovation ecosystem.To expand access to digital skills, Inuwa said NITDA had introduced the Digital Literacy for All initiative, which adopts multiple strategies to reach Nigerians across different sectors and communities.
He disclosed that the agency had partnered with Nasarawa State University and Cisco to develop learning materials based on the National Digital Literacy Framework.
The framework encompasses six competency areas and three proficiency levels: basic, intermediate and advanced.
He added that NITDA was reviewing the framework to incorporate artificial intelligence literacy, reflecting the growing importance of emerging technologies in education, business and the workplace.
As part of efforts to integrate digital skills into formal education, Nasarawa State University has made digital literacy a compulsory component of its General Studies curriculum.
The NITDA chief also highlighted the role of the National Digital Literacy Dashboard in tracking interventions and improving coordination among organisations involved in digital skills development.
He revealed that 252 organisations had reported their activities through the platform, documenting the training of approximately 2.77 million Nigerians between 2023 and October 2026.
According to him, the reported interventions covered all 774 local government areas and 14,664 communities nationwide.
Cisco emerged as the leading contributor to the reported training figures, having facilitated digital skills training for more than 1.073 million Nigerians through its educational platforms.
Inuwa urged more organisations, including corporate foundations and businesses implementing digital literacy programmes under their corporate social responsibility initiatives, to document their activities on the dashboard.
He said accurate reporting would help NITDA identify gaps, minimise duplication and ensure that interventions were distributed more effectively, particularly in underserved communities.
The director-general further called for stronger engagement between employers and educational institutions to identify the skills required by industry and incorporate them into training programmes.
He maintained that the success of Nigeria’s digital literacy agenda should be measured not only by the number of people trained but also by the extent to which acquired skills improve productivity, employability and economic opportunities.
Inuwa said coordinated action, common standards and reliable data would be critical to building a digitally skilled workforce capable of supporting Nigeria’s digital economy and long-term development.