NITDA wants stakeholders to create more opportunities for entrepreneurial evolution

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has urged stakeholders to work with it to create more opportunities for digitisation and entrepreneurial evolution.

The NITDA Director General, Mr Kashifu Abdullahi made the call in a message to a stakeholders’ engagement on Wednesday in Sokoto.

The programme with the theme ”Creating Opportunities, Breaking Boundaries: Toward Digitisation and Entrepreneurial Evolution,” was organized by NITDA and Sokoto State Government.

Abdullahi, represented by Mr Jide Ajayi, said NITDA had celebrated 20 years of growth and resilience in fostering development through efficient Information Technology (IT) Governance in Nigeria.

He said the agency considered the needs of the digital economy ecosystem and respond appropriately through strategic actions in the implementation of critical areas.

”Areas included National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy which focus on developmental regulation, digital literacy and skills, solid infrastructure, service infrastructure and digital development and promotion.

”Other areas are digital society and emergency technologies, soft infrastructure and indigenous content development and adoption,” Abdullahi said.

According to him, NITDA is determined to be closer to stakeholders as a process-driven, data-dependant and results-oriented organization.

”We envisage to meet the objectives of National IT Governance, delivering value to our stakeholders toward meeting the core values of people first, innovativeness and professionalism.”

He reeled out some of the people-oriented programmes NITDA implemented in consultation with stakeholders, under the supervision of Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

These, he said, included the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture, National Adopted School for Smart Education, and Digital Literacy Capacity Training for Persons Living with Disabilities.

Others were support for ICT Innovation Hubs, building of community IT centres, development of State IT policies and others.

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The DG said that NITDA had since strategised to face new challenges and opportunities in digital economy ecosystem.

According to him, the agency had since rolled out the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2021-2024 to provide direction and sound platform to mitigate threats to the digital economy ecosystem.

Earlier, Sokoto State Director of ICT and Fiscal Responsibility, Alhaji Murtala Isa, said the state was committed on implementing ICT related policies to ease doing of business and promote e-governance.

He said that the government had since 2007 established ICT Directorate to drive its ICT policy.

Mr Nurul-Amin Mustapha, Zonal Head of NITDA in charge of North West, said the intervention of the agency had resulted in transformation in the digital space, especially in economic and social activities.

Mustapha said that the stakeholders’ interactions was part of the initiatives to harness and maintain the successes recorded by NITDA.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that participants comprised government officials, academicians, community based groups and NGOs from Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.