The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), security, and sustainability as key drivers of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), security, and sustainability as key drivers of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Director-General Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, made the call on Tuesday in Kano at the opening of the 19th International Conference of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), tagged CONNOVATE 2025. The event, themed “Intelligent, Secure, and Sustainable Innovations for a Connected World”, brought together top IT stakeholders from within and outside the country.
Represented by the agency’s Director of E-Government and Digital Economy Development, Engr. Salisu Kaka, Inuwa stressed that the three elements — intelligence, security, and sustainability — are now indispensable for national progress and global competitiveness.
“In Nigeria, trust is the ultimate currency in our high-stakes digital environment, where scams and cybercrime are prevalent. Security builds and protects this trust,” he said, warning that “innovation without security is unsustainable… like a high-performance race car without brakes.”
He pointed to Estonia’s X-Road platform, which enables 99 per cent of government services online, as a global model Nigeria could learn from. He also highlighted AI, machine learning, and data analytics as vital tools to tackle the country’s complex challenges.
The NITDA boss urged Nigerian startups to move beyond simply digitising processes, and instead focus on creating new value — citing AI-powered wealth management and machine learning-driven remote diagnostics as examples.
Inuwa further outlined government initiatives under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), including the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, the national digital identity programme, interoperable payments, and human capital projects such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) and Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) schemes.
Quoting International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) President Antony Wong, Inuwa underscored the need for stronger data protection and strategic use of data in the Global South, especially to safeguard indigenous knowledge. Wong commended Nigeria’s role in the recent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty protecting genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
Earlier, NCS President Dr. Muhammad Sirajo said the conference would serve as an interdisciplinary platform to address issues ranging from intelligent systems and fintech to sustainable energy and innovations in agriculture, health, education, and national planning.
The week-long event features plenary sessions, a doctoral consortium, a youth and entrepreneurship forum, the Fellows Forum, an IT quiz competition, and the induction of new members. It will end with elections, a dinner, and an awards night honouring outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s ICT sector.