President Muhammadu Buhari has lauded the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) efforts in regulating and developing ICT in Nigeria.
The President gave the commendation on Monday in Abuja while declaring open the 2018 e-Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition, organised by NITDA at the International Conference Centre (ICC).
President Buhari applauded NITDA’s work on the Nigerian ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vision that focuses on the development of Digital Infrastructure, Education Reform, Skills Development and Research and Development as well as supporting the ecosystem.
“The effort of NITDA aimed at reorganising the registration and certification process for OEMs to ensure adherence to world class standards as well as guarantee quality and durable devices are highly commendable”.
“I must also commend the agency’s initiatives focused on the registration of IT contractors and service providers in collaboration with other regulatory bodies with special emphasis on competence”.
According to the President, the success of his administration’s Social Investment Programme, which is seen in many quarters as the largest and most ambitious social safety net programme in recent history, relies heavily on the application of ICT.
The president revealed that the NITDA, in collaboration with the National Social Investment Office (NSIO), was coordinating federal government’s initiative of establishing eight Innovation Hubs. He added that the eight Innovation Hubs would be sited one in each of the six geo-political zones and one each in Lagos and Abuja. President Buhari explained that the purpose of establishing these hubs was to facilitate digital capacity building for immediate employment, entrepreneurial skills development, job and wealth creation. “All these are aimed at promoting the digital economy in an era of disruptive technology through effective regulations,’’ he said.
The President further reminded participants of NITDA’s efforts at enforcing Federal Government’s directive on ensuring that all ICT projects in the country are cleared by it before implementation.
“The importance of this cannot be overemphasised as it will ensure that government’s ICT procurements are transparent, are aligned with government’s IT shared vision and policy, save costs through promotion of shared services, avoid duplication, ensure interoperability of IT systems and improve efficiency across government, enforce the patronage of indigenous companies where capacity exists and uphold the highest standards for service delivery.”
In his remarks, the Director-General of NITDA, Dr Isa Pantami, lauded President Buhari for the issuance of the Presidential Executive Order 003 and 005.
The Executive Order 003 mandates all ministries, departments and agencies to give preference to locally manufactured goods and services in their procurement of information technology services, in order to strengthen its implementation as well as provide clear policy directions.
Presidential Executive Order 005 which was also issued in February, is part of the administration’s deliberate efforts and strong commitment at strengthening the role of Science, Technology and Innovation in the country’s socio-economic development.
Pantami disclosed that over N30billion had so far been saved by the federal government following the implementation of its IT and ICT policies and programme.