Jigawa State recently hosted the grand finale of the five-day workshop titled “The Workshop of the Future,” where Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), delivered a keynote address highlighting the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in critical sectors.
Organized by Futuremap Foundation in partnership with NITDA, Jigawa ICT & Digital Economy, Cosmopolitan University, OpenSchool, and Huawei, the workshop focused on the role of AI in enhancing productivity across agriculture, health, education, energy, and climate change. The event also spotlighted design thinking as an essential framework for addressing complex societal challenges.
In his address, Inuwa unveiled plans for a fellowship programme aimed at cultivating local talent to develop digital solutions tailored to Nigeria’s unique challenges. This initiative, he noted, will reduce reliance on external expertise and align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The agenda emphasizes industrialization, digitization, creative arts, manufacturing, and innovation as key drivers of national diversification and economic growth.
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of leveraging digital transformation and AI to tackle challenges in critical sectors, marking a significant step toward sustainable development and technological advancement in Nigeria.
The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has said Nigeria has a competitive advantage to continue positioning itself as the global talent factory in the areas of technology, sports, music, and movie industries.
Inuwa made this known when he received the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of Outsource Global, Ms. Amal Hassan on a courtesy visit to the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters, in Abuja.
The visit was aimed at partnering with NITDA in the area of digital economy policies and initiatives, and to work with NITDA to actualise the rebranding of the country.
While assuring the team of the Agency’s maximum cooperation, Inuwa noted that NITDA is one of the Federal Government’s Agencies in charge of implementing National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). According to him, the Agency wishes to partner with Outsource Global in achieving the needed result in Nigeria’s digital space.
He reminded the visitors that NITDA was established in 2001 to help with the integration of IT into Nigeria’s system noting that at that time, less than 500,000 Nigerians have access to computers with ICT’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) less than 0.5 percent.
However, today, according to Inuwa, more than 100 million Nigerians have access to internet and computers because “our mobile phones are computers and with improved contribution of ICT to the tunes of 18.44 percent to the GDP; almost twice than what oil and gas were contributing to Nigerian GDP, because the latter contributed about 8 percent.”
He added that NITDA was calibrating to transform the Agency and the sector to position Nigeria in the global digital economy map, create and capture value, and become the superpower in Digital Economy.
He said “Outsourcing is the greatest idea in which critical stakeholders, and influential mindsets people have to listen and look into collectively for making Nigeria a strong Digital Economy nation, and working with the tech ecosystem, and listening to them would help stimulate the growth of the tech ecosystem.”
“To believe in the eecosystem, everyone has his own role and responsibilities, and the government’s responsibility is to intervene in terms of infrastructure, policies, and regulations,” he added.
Inuwa reiterated that Nigeria has a brighter future when it comes to Business Process Outsourcing.
In her remarks, the CEO of Outsource Global, Amal Hassan and her counterpart, Ben Faes described the visit as timely considering the warm reception and sharing of ideas on the partnership with NITDA.
She underscored the importance of Outsourcing as a subsector that offers employment opportunities to thousands of people globally.
She concluded that Outsourcing Global would tap from NITDA’s wealth of experience to rebrand Nigeria as a world-class ICT destination.
In this interview with the top executive of NowNowDigital Systems Limited, Oyenike Owomoyela who is the Head of Growth at NowNow, a financial technology (FinTech) firm based in Lagos.She talks about their strides in the fintech ecosystem such as the launch of their debit cards and virtual cards for their customers. She spoke of the impact the apex bank; the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made in the sector and how thy have made their API available for fintechs to use. Anthony Nwosu captured this in this exclusive interview. Oyenike is an expert in Financial Inclusion, Mass Retail & Youth Banking, digital sales products and loans, SME, process improvement and innovations to increase digital adoption by customers for seamless customer onboarding and retention via USSD, APS and Web.
Tell us the mission behind NowNow as a fintech firm?
Our mission as a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We have a passion to deepen financial inclusion and provide job opportunities to the unemployed youths in Nigeria. We are a mobile bank that gives you control over how you spend your money. Be the Boss when you send money, receive money and pay bills for everyday essentials such as recharge card and data, insurance, electricity, shop online and instore-all in one place!
What informed the name NowNow?
We wanted to resonate first with one of the country’s local languages; Nigerian Pidgin English, what NowNow means in pidgin is to make haste or get something done instantly. The name also connotes that we are a fast-paced technology company that offers efficient services with speed! Our mission is to be a leading African B2B and B2C FinTech company whose mission is to deliver best in class financial services to SMEs, Agents and Consumers alike. We are building the world’s best technology that digitizes cash payments and provides financial empowerment for a better life for everyone.
Your slogan is “The New Way to Bank”, how has the journey been over these years?
We wanted to play on the double words ‘NowNow’ hence the slogan. Also, we realized there were a lot of negative sentiments with brick-and-mortar banks which included crowded banking halls, non-presence of bank branches at remote locations, slow response to customer complaints and resolution of issues. We wanted consumers to believe there is a new digital bank that will ensure they have control over their finances 24/7. Our customers resonate with the New way to bank and we have seen a steady increase in the adoption of our products and services.
Nigerian Fintech ecosystem can be said to be pretty busy, maybe one of the busiest in the continent, what are the unique things that set you apart from other players?
One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centers but rural communities also. We offer financial literacy tools as well as business solutions to all our consumers and merchants as a whole and have empowered a lot of youths and the unemployed through our agency banking model.
Opening an account in minutes is one of your selling points, how and what are you doing to ensure compliance with CBN regulation in the area of KYC?
Absolutely, this has been one of our major achievements; fast and seamless onboarding. What we have also done is to leverage API integrations with NIBSS and other 3rd party providers to ensure that we are opening quality wallets and profiling customers in line with the CBN 3-tiered KYC policy. Our Compliance team is also doing a lot at the backend to ensure transaction monitoring takes effect and processes related to KYC upgrades are done as at when due digitally. We also carry our EDD on transactions when the need arises.
How many downloads are we, looking at present from Nigerians?
We are aspirational when it comes to our consumer app, hence, we are on track to hit more than 1 million downloads by the end of the year. Yes, we know our competitors have well over that amount but what is paramount to us is not just the downloads but retaining those users to be loyal consumers for the long haul. Here we strongly believe in offering world calls financial services to people. We might not have millions of downloads yet but we are looking at offering seamless services to many people and these people will be with us on a long haul.
What is your market share in Nigeria, and do you have footprints in other African countries?
We think of ourselves as an embedded finance business, no longer a start-up. With that being said, it is part of our mission statement to have digital footprints all over Africa and really make a difference wherever we go. However, more information will be unveiled as we commence operations in more countries in the near future. We are looking seriously at the sub-Saharan fintech market. We have the expertise and the traction.
Some of the online banks do give debit cards, have you ever thought of that?
We recently had a soft launch phase of our Naira debit Mastercard in early August 2022 and we already have over 2000 active cards. We also have a virtual card which most of our consumers currently use for online transactions. So, we can say that we are abreast with the technology trends in the country. We do give out cards for those that love using cards but our strength also is in cardless transactions.
Do you think that the CBN is creating the enabling environments for fintech like yours to thrive?
In affirmative, the Apex bank created licenses that FinTechs can explore for financial services businesses all through. CBN believes that FinTechs are key actors in achieving National Financial Inclusion goals with Technology, Innovation, Speed and Scale. They also created a sandbox environment for product testing and innovation.
What are the challenges that you face in this business?
There are various challenges but I will mention the items that have the most impact: The rapid changes in macroeconomic landscape and terrain, upsurge and threats of competitors in various shapes and forms, shortages of skilled human capital, infrastructure not supporting scale i.e. internet penetration and switching infrastructure, insecurity and lastly, lower margins and ROE inhibiting access to capital (equity or debt).
What do we expect from NowNow this latter part of the year?
A few things! Firstly, our card campaign, which is aimed at our B2C customer segment – a project that we have been working on extensively for quite some time. We also have a new product launch to tackle the SME segment in Nigeria, which has one of the largest footprints of SMEs in Africa. We want to empower this segment by creating a digital platform that moves them from offline to online, provides access to market channels as well as financial capabilities, and ERP solutions. All these and many more are in the pipeline to really propell business owners to the next level of exposure and success. We will begin to roll out these products as we progress.
“One thing we have done right in NowNow is to gather experienced professionals from across the world in the FinTech and Financial Services space hence we have a global view of what we need to do to achieve our goals as an organization. We are also focused on agile and adaptive technology and have a presence not only in the urban centers but rural communities also.”
The appointment of Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the energic young man to pilot the affairs the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) one year ago has seen the agency making tremendous strides through intervention, implementation, regulation and execution of IT policies to the amazement of Nigerians! He didn’t come “tasting the waters” as it is the normal thing in most government establishments, he did hit the “ground running” with the zeal of a spartan. The Director General has piloted the affairs of NITDA to a level that admirers and those who opposed him has come to give him kudos, like a Northern star, his strides have remained constant.
Nations all over the world are preparing and making concerted efforts for Revolution 4.0, known in some other places as 4th Industrial Revolution. A period that global economy would be powered by information technology (IT) tools such as automation, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT). NITDA, as an agency is primed and positioned to spearhead Nigeria’s migration to this 4.0. Kashifu has demonstrated the will to lead this strenuous migration, but doing so with tact and ease.
He has shown that he is adept and experienced in the IT ecosystem. In his words, “I am at home being at the helm of affairs in NITDA. As a person that is open to new approaches and strategies, with the experiences I have gained for the last 15 years in the IT sector spanning between the private and the public sector and through unceasing study, my team and I have worked diligently to ensure the continuous development of the IT sector in Nigeria over the past 10 months. Remember, I picked it up from a good place to consolidate upon, considering the foundation laid by my boss and mentor, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami).”
With robust roadmap to work with, this past one year has shown Kashifu working in tandem with the existing roadmap especially on the area of capacity building. NITDA is implementing a strategic roadmap for the development of Nigeria’s IT sector. It consists of 7 pillars that are in alignment with the 8 pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy & Strategy. The 7 key pillars of our Roadmap are IT Regulation, Capacity Building, Digital Inclusion, Digital Job Creation, Government Digital Service Promotion, Local Content Development, and Cybersecurity.
“We have rolled out several policies, regulations, and programs, focusing on those areas. However, as the roadmap is set to expire this year as is the Nigeria Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which it draws from. NITDA has already commenced reviewing it as well as developing the next plan, which will soon be launched”, Kashifu said on programs and implementation.
“…with my boss and mentor, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) as the Honorable Minister, the efforts have resulted the development of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, during the 2019 e-Nigeria International Conference, Exhibition and Awards, held on the November 28th, 2019. The NDEPS effectively replaces the National IT Policy”
In Africa today, Nigeria is a critical market, leading the pack as an investment destination and as a beautiful bride to the venture capitalists (VC),the country occupied the first position with a total investment of US $747 Million, followed by Kenya with a total investment of US $564 Million and Egypt that attracted a total investment of US $211 Million. The DG understands this and have demonstrated readiness for this by bringing up schemes and policies that will leapfrog the sector. The NITDA Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Scheme is one of these scheme targeting startups hub owners and youth with talent and building their skills in high-demand skills. Policies such as Tax Incentives for startups, incentives for investors and access to market for innovation adoption. Establishment of Innovation and Research Fund to further catalyze the growth of startups and there are rigorous plans to ensure we retain about 100,000 ICT Jobs and create an additional 30,000 in the Post COVID-19 Era.
On the area of support of indigenous OEMs, Software development and scalability of IT firms in the country. NITDA under Kashifu is desirous to see that Nigerian IT firms survive and are also protected in a “dog eat dog” world of IT where big corporations give no room for competition. This one year of Kashifu’s handling of affairs of NITDA has shown that the indigenous OEMs enjoyed a three times patronage compared to the other times. The agency as of recent spearheaded an increment in indigenous IT firms participation in the ecosystem. Kashifu ensured that local IT firms are given preference in the scheme of things there by making them profitable, scalable and sustainable.
In line with this mandate kashifu said “It is a fact that the purchase of local devices by MDAs is unprecedented within these years compared to previous years before 2018. For instance, in 2015-2016 less than 250,000 devices were sold by indigenous OEMs. However, due to the intervention of NITDA, records show that in 2018/2019 alone OEMs sold three times the numbers sold prior to 2017 with about 778,886 of locally assembled devices sold in 2018 and 2019.”
He added “NITDA is implementing the Executive Order and Guidelines vigorously through active surveillance and IT Projects assessment and clearance process of the Agency. Nevertheless, procurement law requires OEMs to either bid directly or work with other contractors to bid to ensure transparency and value for money. If MDAs violate the process NITDA can then be notified for action.”
Not only giving preference to local brand, NTDA ensured that the local OEM adhere to the global best practices. Kashifu said that there is also a challenge with the quality of product of some of the indigenous brands. NITDA is making strenuous effort to address this challenge, in 2018, the agency mandated these OEMs to go through a rigorous certification process requiring them to have ISO 9001:2015 for quality management systems. This is believed that it will spur these OEMs to provide products that meet quality and regulatory requirements always as it done in the Western World. Presently, only 3 out of 10 previously registered OEMs have been fully certified.
The agency is working with the Federal Government on the area of IT policy making, implementation and intervention in line with thrusting the nation into a digital economy. NITDA from August 2019 to date has launched and is implementing the following regulatory instruments: Nigeria e-Government Interoperability Framework (Ne-GIF) Nigeria Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP)Nigeria ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vision (NIIEV), Framework and Guidelines for ICT adoption in Tertiary Institutions, Guidelines for Nigeria Content Development ICT as amended; and Data Protection Implementation Framework.
In the last 1 year that Kashifu has been in the office, NITDA has established 80 Digital Capacity Training Centers (DCTCs) with E-Learning facilities, 6 IT Hubs, 6 IT Community Centers, 4 IT Innovation & Incubation Parks, and 3 IT Capacity Training Centers – all with the aim of bridging the digital divide and providing access to the unserved and underserved population. Not yet done, though with an eye on the futuristic 4th industrial revolution, the DG understands the current realities of Corona Virus, its impact and how to emerge in a Post Covid 19 stronger. Having this in mind, Kashifu spearheaded the establishment of Tech4COVID19 Initiative – This initiative is set to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the tech ecosystem and proffer solutions especially for startups. Also, the establishment of Virtual Startup Clinic where Startups and mostly young people to meet with mentors, successful entrepreneurs, investors, industry specialists, business consultants and hub operators with the goal of solving problems and challenges they were facing. And finally, the Nigeria COVID-19 Innovation Challenge. This is online innovation challenge where youths proffer solutions on the challenges the society is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 5 startups with highly innovative ideas were selected for the final challenge and 3 of them were selected for further incubation. A support of ₦1 000,000 ₦750,000 and ₦500,000 were won by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners respectively. This past one year has seen a turn around in NITDA’s activities, with constant pushing of narratives and adopting to the current realities under Kashifu Abdullahi, he has within a short period of time shown that it is what it is, which is proving that a young man can change an agency within a short time under the mentorship of his predecessor.
As a team player, Kashifu is working with the Minister of Digital Economy, Isa Pantami on the best ways to position the country so as to reap the immense benefits in ICT sector and also drive the country’s diversification from oil and gas to IT, making Nigeria an IT destination. “…with my boss and mentor, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) as the Honorable Minister, the efforts have resulted the development of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, during the 2019 e-Nigeria International Conference, Exhibition and Awards, held on the November 28th, 2019. The NDEPS effectively replaces the National IT Policy”, he concluded at a recent chat.
“NITDA has established 80 Digital Capacity Training Centers (DCTCs) with E-Learning facilities, 6 IT Hubs, 6 IT Community Centers, 4 IT Innovation & Incubation Parks, and 3 IT Capacity Training Centers”
What is your market share in Nigeria, and do you have footprints in other African countries?
