NITDA partners NCC on review of ICT4D policy, Smart City Initiatives

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has resolved to partner on the review of the National ICT4D Policy; Smart City Initiatives and capacity building for Startups and graduates from Nigerian Universities.

A statement from Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Head of Corporate Affairs at NITDA said already, an 8-man committee has been constituted to work and submit report towards the integration process and the way forward with respect to service delivery and non-duplication of services being rendered to the public within two weeks.

The partnership, according to the statement is part of the two government agency drive to pursue revenue spinning information and communications technology industry in Nigeria, which is part of current administration’s drive to create employment and diversify the economy with the volatility and disruption of oil revenue.

The statement revealed that the partnership was sealed when the management of NITDA, led by Dr. Vincent Olatunji, its acting Director General paid a courtesy visit to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Lagos.

The visit, according to the government agency saddled with the responsibility of IT capacity building is to explore areas of mutual collaboration between the two sister Agencies under the Ministry of Communications.

“ICT is one of the few options government have to diversify the economy and to build capacity using ICT to improve productivity and service delivery for Nigeria to cope with the present economic reality and increase the ICT contribution to Nigerian GDP by 50 percent,” Olatunji said.

Olatunji stated that NITDA as an IT regulatory body oversee the overall development of the ICT industry in Nigeria in order to ensure a steady growth of the sector, and also increase the integration of ICTs across all sectors and under-served communities in a manner that supports diversification of the economy while achieving growth, job and wealth creation.

He noted that, since inception NITDA has embarked on a number of programmes to drive inclusive development across rural and under-served communities by expanding the reach of IT to these communities.

Such programmes, according to Olatunji have increased access to the knowledge, content and information through ICT tools, creating jobs and wealth amongst the youths, bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas, empowering Nigerian youths, expanding and deepening frontier of IT knowledge within Nigeria.

He said NITDA have identified the challenges of ICT and the need for multi stakeholder partnership to brainstorm and formulate policy to drive the ICT sector, the agency over the years have two platforms for bringing stakeholders together to brainstorms on thematic areas identified and highlighted in the Communiqué for implementation so as to accelerate the growth of ICT , these programmes are the Annual eNigeria Conference in Nigeria and        the Gulf information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) which takes place in Dubai UAE.

He revealed that e-Nigeria has been sustained for more than 10 years as a platform that brings together IT experts and solution providers within and outside the country to brainstorm on emerging technologies, local content innovations and relevant IT issues for sustainable socioeconomic development of Nigeria.

The Acting DG NITDA said GITEX is an annual Information and Communication Technology trade show, exhibition, and conference that take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The inaugural event took place in 1981 and NITDA has coordinated the Nigeria’s participation at the event since 2013. Nigeria’s presence at the event is designed to foster attention on ICT startups, the burgeoning ICT sector and attract offshore investments and partnerships between local and foreign ICT companies as part of the present administration’s drive to develop human capital and indigenous capacity in ICT.

He added that the agency has set up the Office of innovation and entrepreneurship OIIE ad office of Nigerian Content in ICT to drive that aspect.

Olatunji said the Management of NITDA is open to various ways of inter-agency collaboration to meet the yearnings and aspiration of all Nigerians in better service delivery in the IT industry, which telecoms play a major role, adding that, if broadband penetration is available to the majority of Nigerians and IT infrastructure, service delivery will improve and the underlying impact on other sectors of the economy will increase the GDP. He therefore stressed the need for NCC and NITDA to work harmoniously in helping president Buhari’s administration find solutions to the economic challenges through ICT by concentrated harmonised effort.

He said, NITDA seeks to collaborate with NCC with zeal to deliver effective and efficient IT services to the public which will yield impact in line with the change mantra of the present administration towards making Nigeria to become the number one center for IT diffusion in Africa.