NITDA, GIZ, DTC launch digital policy dialogue to enhance citizen participation
Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Nigeria and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has launched an initiative to enhance citizen engagement through a digital policy dialogue.
During a two-day event titled “Digital Policy Dialogue: Cooperate. Innovate,” stakeholders discussed the Participatory Policy Implementation Framework (PPIF), aiming to foster inclusivity between the government and Nigerian citizens.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, stated, “Today marks a remarkable milestone in our journey to reimagine NITDA’s role in the Nigerian tech ecosystem. Five years ago, NITDA faced a significant trust deficit with the tech community due to top-down policy impositions. To address this, NITDA shifted to a collaborative approach, emphasizing co-design and co-creation.”
Inuwa expressed gratitude to GIZ for their support, which began with the Nigerian Startup Act. Following this success, GIZ and DTC assisted in developing the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) through a similar participatory process. He noted that significant citizen engagement has been achieved, with the creative sector volunteering to champion digital literacy in Nigeria.
NITDA is collaborating with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to train citizens across 774 local governments and the Ministry of Education to integrate digital skills into the national curriculum by next year. These efforts align with the Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy’s target of achieving 95% digital literacy by 2030 and 70% by 2027.
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The event also featured the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, Engineer Faruk Yusuf Yabo. He expanded on the expectations of the PPIF, highlighting initiatives like multi-channel stakeholder engagement, collaborative decision-making through digital platforms, transparency, accountability, capacity building, and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
The initiative is supported by partners including the European Union and the German government, marking a commitment to inclusivity and transparency in Nigeria’s digital policy development.
Dr. Markus Wauschkuhn, Coordinator of the Sustainable Economic Development Cluster (SEDEC) GIZ, Nigeria, welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of a participatory policy-making process. Dr. Thwueba Dwani, Head of Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Nigeria, introduced the PPIF as a crucial tool for Nigeria’s digital innovation ecosystem, developed through extensive stakeholder engagement.
The event saw representation from various agencies including the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Civil Society Organisations, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders.
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