Nigeria Must Bridge Technology Adoption Gap to Drive Economic Growth- NITDA DG

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for stronger efforts to bridge the gap between access to technology, actual adoption and economic productivity in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, made the call at the Tech Outlook in Lagos, organised by the SATH Foundation in collaboration with NITDA.

Inuwa said Nigeria’s growing pool of technology talent could only translate into a globally competitive innovation ecosystem if the country creates an environment where innovation can thrive, businesses can scale and technology can contribute meaningfully to economic growth.

Highlighting findings from research conducted for the Nigeria Tech Outlook, the NITDA boss disclosed that more than 80 per cent of over 2,000 Nigerians surveyed expressed willingness to use telemedicine services.

However, he noted that fewer than 20 per cent of those surveyed had actually used such services, highlighting a gap between willingness to adopt technology and real-world usage.

According to him, understanding such gaps could help investors identify unmet needs, enable innovators to develop solutions that address real challenges and assist policymakers in removing barriers to technology adoption.

The Tech Outlook examines the role and adoption of technology across key sectors, including financial services, telecommunications, commerce and trade, government services and healthcare.

The initiative provides data and insights intended to support policy development, investment decisions and technology adoption across the sectors.

Inuwa stressed the importance of collaboration among government, industry leaders, investors and innovators in strengthening Nigeria’s technology intelligence and developing homegrown solutions.

He said such collaboration would help position Nigeria to build a globally competitive innovation ecosystem while creating sustainable economic opportunities.