The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has made significant strides in positioning Nigeria as a globally competitive destination for digital services. This development was highlighted on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), where NITDA's director general, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, participated in a session organised by the Nigeria Economic and Trade Advancement Programme (NATEP). The session, titled “Hire from Nigeria”, brought together key stakeholders to discuss Nigeria's growing readiness to deliver globally competitive, technology-enabled services.
Abdullahi joined the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and the Minister of Education, Dr. Moruf Alausa, in a strategic conversation on impact sourcing, global trade, skills, and inclusive job creation. During the conversation, Abdullahi emphasised that Nigeria's competitive advantage must extend beyond traditional outsourcing. He stressed that with the rapid transformation being driven by Artificial Intelligence, the country has an opportunity to build a distinctive position around AI-augmented, IT-enabled services.
According to Abdullahi, Nigeria is equipping its citizens not merely to use emerging technologies but to understand, shape, develop, and create economic value with them. He highlighted the country's evolving frameworks for data protection, digital identity, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure assurance, data classification, sovereign cloud, and software quality assurance. These frameworks, he noted, are essential to attracting global businesses and positioning Nigeria as a dependable destination for digital services.
Abdullahi referenced Project BRIDGE, which aims to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, alongside the Cloud First Policy and other measures to attract private-sector investment in computing infrastructure and AI factories. These initiatives, he believes, will help to create a robust digital infrastructure that will support the growth of Nigeria's digital economy. By investing in these areas, Nigeria is laying the foundation for a thriving digital services sector.
The NITDA boss also underscored the importance of representation in the AI economy, cautioning that communities and economies absent from the datasets used to develop intelligent systems risk becoming invisible in the technologies shaping the future. He noted that Nigeria is taking steps to develop indigenous AI capabilities through initiatives such as the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
These initiatives, Abdullahi said, are connecting Nigeria's talent and innovation ecosystem to opportunities in the global digital economy. He emphasised that Nigeria's opportunity is not simply to supply talent to the world; it is to equip Nigerian talent with AI, trusted digital infrastructure, and globally competitive capabilities to deliver higher-value services to the world. By doing so, Nigeria can become a major player in the global digital economy.
Through these efforts, NITDA is working to create a favourable environment for Nigeria's digital economy to thrive. The agency's efforts are aimed at making Nigeria a dependable destination for digital services, and its initiatives are expected to have a positive impact on the country's economy. With the right infrastructure and support in place, Nigeria is poised to become a major hub for digital services in Africa.
Key points
- NITDA is positioning Nigeria as a globally competitive destination for digital services through initiatives such as Project BRIDGE and the Cloud First Policy.
- The country is laying the foundation to develop indigenous AI capabilities through initiatives such as the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
- Nigeria aims to equip its citizens with AI, trusted digital infrastructure, and globally competitive capabilities to deliver higher-value services to the world.
