NITDA Hails Tinubu’s Digital Agenda, Says Technology Can Drive Nigeria’s Economic Growth

By Peter Emmanuel |

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commended Bola Tinubu for providing the policy direction and enabling environment to position technology and innovation at the centre of Nigeria’s economic transformation.

NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, gave the commendation while speaking at GITEX Nigeria in Lagos, where he highlighted the role of technology, innovation and digital skills in shaping the country’s economic future.

Inuwa said the Tinubu-led government had recognised from the outset that Nigeria’s economic future depended on moving beyond traditional sources of growth and deliberately investing in diversification, innovation and digitalisation.

He said the vision was captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on accelerating economic diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing and innovation.

According to the NITDA DG, technology would increasingly determine how countries create wealth and solve problems, making Nigeria’s human capital one of its most valuable resources.

NITDA Credits Tinubu’s Agenda for Placing Technology at Heart of Economy

Inuwa said the future economy would be driven less by the physical resources a country possesses and more by what its people can think, imagine, learn, create and solve.

He said this reality made talent development central to Nigeria’s digital transformation and economic development.

The NITDA DG highlighted efforts to integrate digital skills into formal education as part of the administration’s drive to prepare Nigerians for a technology-driven economy.

He also pointed to initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent programme, which he said were designed to equip Nigerians, particularly young people, with relevant capabilities for the changing global economy.

Inuwa said sustained investment in human capital would enable Nigeria to develop the skills required to participate more effectively in the global digital economy.

FG Steps Up Digital Skills Development to Prepare Nigerians for Future Economy

The NITDA DG said the responsibility of government and relevant institutions went beyond developing skilled Nigerians.

He said there was also a need to create an environment where the skills acquired could translate into businesses, innovations, products and solutions to real-world challenges.

According to him, Nigeria’s large market and young and talented population provide the country with significant opportunities to build a stronger digital economy.

He said the country’s numerous development challenges could also become opportunities for Nigerians to develop innovative solutions that address local needs.

Inuwa stressed that creating the right environment for talent to thrive would be essential to ensuring that digital skills contribute meaningfully to economic growth and national development.

NITDA Says Talent, Innovation Can Position Nigeria in Global Digital Economy

Inuwa said Nigeria had the basic ingredients needed to become a creator and contributor in the global digital economy.

He identified the country’s youthful population, large market and growing pool of talent as key strengths that could support technology-driven economic development.

The NITDA DG said the direction set by Bola Tinubu presented an opportunity for Nigeria to harness technology beyond its use as a tool for digital transformation.

He said technology and innovation could serve as engines for productivity, economic diversification, inclusion and sustainable prosperity.

Inuwa therefore called for continued investment in digital skills, innovation and an enabling environment that would allow Nigerians to turn their talents into businesses, products and solutions capable of contributing to Nigeria’s economic transformation.