By leveraging digital literacy and nurturing the talent development of its citizens by combating misinformation and disinformation that could endanger the stability of the country’s economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has further strengthened its partnership with Voice of Nigeria to project the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s current administration.
This was revealed during a visit to the Agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja by a delegation from VON, headed by its recently appointed Director General, Jibrin Baba Ndace, together with the management team of NITDA DG, Kashifu Inuwa.
Encouraging Nigeria to lead the digital transformation with its newly crafted ambitious Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (2024-2027), the NITDA DG emphasised the importance of cooperation, support, and direction in realising the goals of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to Inuwa, NITDA has reorganised its Strategic Restructuring Plan (SRAP) into eight pillars to support these goals, which include positioning Nigeria as a leading technology hub in fields like robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The goal is to achieve 95% digital literacy by 2030.
“As we digitise our economy, we need our citizens to have access and use these digital devices and platforms safely as well as responsibly and the only way to achieve that is through digital literacy”, he noted.
He said that to create National Digital Literacy Standards that will help young people in Nigeria get certified by local institutions, the Agency is collaborating with the Ministry of Education, the government of the United Kingdom, and GIZ.
Rather than fake news spreading throughout society, Inuwa noted that working with VON would create a medium and wider reach for communicating the government’s transformation goals to the public. This underscores the significance of strategic partnerships in advancing these initiatives with key stakeholders, including the media.
“We are thinking of developing content in local languages on TV and radio stations so that we can reach as many people as possible and I think that is an area of collaboration where we can work together”, Inuwa added.
Inuwa specifically emphasised the need to educate the public about the safe and responsible use of digital technologies, which will protect them from the social engineering ploys used by cyber manipulators, as well as the various efforts and policies implemented by the current administration to reduce poverty and accelerate the country’s economic growth.
As he expressed his excitement about the partnership with VON and how it would enable the Agency to surpass expectations in fulfilling its mandate and lead the country into the digital future, Inuwa also assured the guests of the Agency’s support in the areas of digital infrastructure and capacity building development.
In his earlier remark, Mr Ndace expressed gratitude to the NITDA DG and the entire NITDA management for the support that VON has enjoyed from the Agency thus far.
He said that the various milestones achieved by the Agency under the leadership of the present Director General are not only commendable but inspiring to other MDAs.
Ndace however pleaded for more support and a deepened collaboration with NITDA to fully realise the goals and objectives of the present administration.
