NITDA seeks global partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called for stronger international partnerships to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation and attract technology investments into the country.

Inuwa made the call during a high-level engagement convened by the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, which brought together senior government officials, diplomats, technology leaders, investors and digital policy experts.

The engagement focused on the role of trusted technology, strategic partnerships and international cooperation in advancing digital transformation.

Discussions at the event covered artificial intelligence, trusted digital infrastructure, connectivity, investment, digital skills, emerging technologies and the growing importance of technology diplomacy in shaping economic competitiveness and national development.

Inuwa highlighted Nigeria’s youthful population, expanding digital ecosystem and regulatory environment as opportunities for the country to position itself not only as a consumer of global technology but also as a creator, partner and destination for technology investment and innovation.

He stressed the need to move beyond discussions to partnerships capable of delivering measurable outcomes through investments in critical digital infrastructure, stronger local capabilities and improved access to global technology markets.

The NITDA boss also noted that emerging technologies should contribute meaningfully to job creation, productivity and inclusive economic growth.

The high-level engagement featured representatives from the United States Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Google, Intel, Visa, ServiceNow, AP Telecom, Africell, Cybastion, United States Telecommunications Training Institute and other technology, investment and diplomatic institutions.

According to NITDA, the engagement underscored the importance of international collaboration to Nigeria’s digital transformation, as the country seeks to connect policy, technology, infrastructure, capital, talent and markets.

The agency said it remained committed to leveraging international partnerships to advance Nigeria’s digital transformation priorities and translate global relationships into investment, knowledge transfer, local capacity, market opportunities and sustainable economic value for Nigerians.