By Mohammed Mohammed
In line with the continuous implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy organized a one-day Stakeholders Engagement on NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024.
The strategic session held at the eGovernment Training Centre, Public Service Institute of Nigeria, Abuja is aimed at critically reviewing the SRAP document and making adjustments where necessary.
The Director General of the agency, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented by Acting Director, Digital Economy Department, Mr. Salisu Kaka, in his welcome address stated that NITDA’s aim towards the development and review of the document was to enhance collaboration, co-creation, partnership, and share ideas to ensure that Nigeria attain a sustainable digital economy.
The DG, stated that the re-designation of the Ministry to include Digital Economy in 2019 came with lots of challenges and opportunities and therefore emphasized on the need for drivers of the ecosystem to refocus and reposition themselves appropriately for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
“Technology has impacted our everyday lives and it is important to set up policies that will guide the ecosystem”, Inuwa noted.
He further disclosed that the implementation of the NDEPS which replaced the National IT Policy has been a blessing to the ICT sector during the advent of the Corona virus as ICT remains the only sector unshaken by the pandemic.
He revealed that NITDA, through its SRAP is making efforts to continually implement the 8 strategic pillars of the NDPES. While making emphasis on the realization of Digital Economy through the implementation of the SRAP, he holistically highlighted it’s 7 strategic pillars and admonished all organizations to develop strategic maps that will foster the country to greater heights.
“It is our wish that every organization come up with their own strategic implementation roadmap not only for NDEPS but for other policies as regards our different mandates. We are all an integral part of one government and we need to share ideas for the purpose of achieving the collective responsibility of making the country great”, he concluded.
The acting Director of the agency’s corporate planning and strategy department, Dr. Aristotle Onumo, while giving a presentation of the SRAP stated that the SRAP programs and initiatives were drawn from the NDEPS for coherence in application, implementation, and programme continuity.
He asserted that the current aspiration of the present government administration is the economic diversification from oil to other none-oil activities and processes, adding that non-oil activities will drive programmes and projects into a sustainable economy and environment.
Onumo, also stated the importance of creating an enabling environment for the exploding population of youths in order for them to channel their energy towards promoting creativity and innovations.
He added that the SRAP will help the government in implementing the NDEPS policy for a digital economy and facilitate National Digital Transformation.
According to him, SRAP is a document crafted by NITDA which contains the agency’s vision of developing Nigeria into a sustainable digital economy; an economy that is prosperous and driven by technology, he said.