DG NITDA calls for partnership with Nigerians in Diaspora for development of Digital Economy
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has made a call for robust partnerships with Nigerians in the diaspora in driving the Agency’s initiatives towards the development of the nation’s economy.
The NITDA DG made this known during a courtesy visit by the Continental Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization, Europe (NIDOE), Dr. Bashir Obasekola, to the Agency’s Corporate headquarters in Abuja.
As a very dynamic personality who has led the agency in attaining giant strides in different areas of its mandate over the years, Inuwa believes that fostering partnerships with Nigerians in the diaspora would enable the Nigerian government to tap into the vast opportunities offered by Nigerians with industry exposure in diaspora and provide a deeper sense of purpose to national development.
Inuwa, who was represented at the meeting by the agency’s Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions department, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi, hinted that partnering with NIDOE will provide a foundation that can be built on for further collaborations with Nigerians in the diaspora.
“NIDOE is the second largest Nigerians in diaspora organization across the world, and you being here is the beginning of a relationship we have been hoping to build”, he noted.
Speaking on his unflinching commitment to making the agency a high-velocity one, Inuwa disclosed that, through its Research and Development department, the agency has developed a Brain Circulation Strategic Program for 2023 by networking with people in the diaspora to drive the Research and Development ecosystem of the country.
While emphasizing the need for effective collaboration with Nigerians in the diaspora on the agency’s initiatives, Inuwa enthusiastically expressed the agency’s willingness to co-creating with them in the development of its regulatory instruments.
“Individually, Nigerians in the diaspora are making efforts and driving good initiatives but collectively, we can work to sustain all these initiatives which is why, in developing our regulatory instruments, we have open invitations for volunteers across the world”, he said.
The DG further revealed that the Code of Practice for social media, National Artificial Intelligence Policy, National Digital Skills Strategy (NDSS) and the National Outsourcing Strategy (NOS) are initiatives of the agency which were been currently subjected to stakeholders engagement and have attracted interests from Nigerians in diaspora in support of their development.
Citing the LEAP event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 2 Nigerian startups won a $300,000 grant as an example, Inuwa believes that the engagement with NIDOE would further improve the flow of foreign direct investments into the country.
“This meeting is very important to us and we feel this is the beginning of the relationship we want to establish that will be mutually beneficial to Nigerians in the diaspora and to Nigeria.”, he concluded.
Giving his remark earlier, Dr. Bashir Obasekola appreciated NITDA for the warm reception and applauded the Agency for its immense contribution to the growth of the national economy.
He gave assurances of the organization’s support in collaborating with the Agency through effective training, mentoring, consultancy, investment and funding in areas of IT Research & Development, Cybersecurity, amongst other initiatives.
