The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development following the formal presentation of awards won at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2025 in Spain.
At a ceremony held at NITDA headquarters, the OGP delegation presented the award plaque and certificate to the agency’s leadership in recognition of Nigeria’s outstanding performance in digital governance. Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category and also clinched the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East.
The accolades were largely attributed to initiatives spearheaded by NITDA in collaboration with civil society organisations, including Dataphyte, which showcased innovative and inclusive digital governance models at the summit.
The OGP Global Summit, hosted in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, attracted more than 1,500 participants, including government officials, civil society leaders and policymakers from around the world, to share experiences and best practices on open government reforms.
Receiving the delegation, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa described the recognition as a national honour rather than an institutional one, noting that it reflects the collective efforts of government, civil society and the private sector in promoting open governance through digital tools.
“This is not just about NITDA. It is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility,” Inuwa said, stressing that failure to deliver on commitments under the OGP framework could affect Nigeria’s local and international standing.
He linked the achievement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, highlighting digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery as key presidential priorities. According to him, leveraging digital technologies to deepen openness and accountability aligns with national goals of strengthening institutions and rebuilding public trust.
Inuwa underscored the importance of collaboration, describing the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach. He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and government institutions to provide sustained technical support to ensure effective implementation of agreed commitments.
The NITDA boss disclosed that the agency has commenced internal reviews of its OGP commitments and has tasked its representatives to work with stakeholders to develop clear execution strategies, including the creation of joint work streams to support implementation and accountability.
He also welcomed plans to brief Nigeria’s political leadership on the achievement, noting that celebrating milestones helps boost morale and demonstrates that the country’s digital governance efforts are gaining global recognition.
Inuwa expressed appreciation to the Nigerian National OGP Secretariat and the global OGP leadership, reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to deepening collaboration and translating open governance principles into measurable national impact.
Earlier, the leader of the OGP delegation, Mr Olusoji Apampa, said the honours were the result of strong partnerships between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a pivotal role, particularly in digital governance reforms. He expressed optimism that the awards would further energise ongoing commitments and accelerate the implementation of digital governance initiatives across Nigeria.
