DIGITASATION: NITDA, SI GROUP OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE TO COLLABORATE ON DIGITAL PUBLIC GOOD

As part of efforts toward identifying and addressing the Information Technology (IT) talent gap in Nigeria by developing standards to balance supply with demand as well as create strategic partnerships to scale impact and strengthen engagement in the public and private sectors for building capacity on literacy and skills, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, has affirmed the Agency’s readiness to partner with the SI Group & Beyond Mentors on critical areas of digitisation, particularly as it has to do with the youths and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Inuwa made the affirmation during a courtesy visit on him by the SI Group & Beyond Mentors Team at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters, Abuja.

The DG who noted that while digitising, being invisible negates the essence of digitisation itself as one would be forgotten; stressing that the computer operates on available data which indicates that if a country, an organisation or individual does not make data available online, then the possibility of cultures, values, and identity being forgotten is certain.

“In Africa, there is a troubling scenario playing out in the gaming world where we don’t depict African characters, our core values, cultures into games; this is not the way to go. We need to train our youths on animation and visual arts so that they can create characters that would reflect the thoughts and views of Africans”, Inuwa enjoined.

Although there are over sixty-four initiatives in the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021 – 2024) document, the NITDA Boss took time to explain a few which he however said will be reviewed to add more initiatives in order to align with the aspirations of the new administration’s focus on job and wealth creation.

He mentioned the pilot Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Scheme where startups are taken from ideas’ conceptualisation point to hatching and commercialisation.

Inuwa also talked about building the ecosystem as he reiterated NITDA’s principle of co-creation which he observed is part of the group’s areas of interest, noting that in 2022, NITDA was able to train over 600 Nigerian across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Inuwa re-emphasised the importance of the collaboration, saying, it will, to a large extent, double the impact on beneficiaries.

“One of our mantras is the fact that we cannot succeed in isolation, which is why we welcome key collaborators in order for us to co-create and build the desired ecosystem.”

“Innovation as you know does not happen in isolation, hence, there is need to always sought out the main players in the ecosystem to work together. We work with international, National and Local Organisations”, the DG said.

While identifying lack of mentorship as one of the challenges faced by Nigerian youths, Inuwa said that innovation is not just about one’s ability to invent things but also the commercialisation of such inventions.

Inuwa noted that whereas the former is fundamental, the latter is more of acts where one needs mentorship and some skills to be able to commercialise the products. He highlighted the need to hit the ground running on the modus operandi and identifying areas with the most attention needed, especially the Digital Public Growth.
Earlier, the Leader of the team and founder/CEO of SI Group of Social Enterprise, Khadijah Abdullahi Iya, while stating the essence of the courtesy call said the visit was to familiarise NITDA with the work of SI Group and Beyond Mentors as well as identify shared values; explore areas of partnership and working relations; look into areas where the group’s networks, experience, and expertise can be leveraged upon as implementors for NITDA projects as well as look at other areas not properly harnessed for possible partnership.

Hajiya Khadijah enumerated the success stories of the group over the years and expressed optimism that the partnership with NITDA would go a long way towards actualising the focal points of the group’s objectives.