Kashifu Inuwa, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has reiterated the commitment of the agency in exploring more opportunities in developing the digital literacy and skills of Nigerians in order to drive the Nation’s economy and ultimately achieve a digital Nigeria.
The DG said this in Abuja on Wednesday during a courtesy visit by the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Carl-Michael Gräns. He noted that one of the plans of the agency is to strengthen the ecosystem of the Federal Capital Territory and the nation at large.
Kashifu appreciated the existing partnership the agency has had over the years with the Embassy of Sweden, especially with the SchoolTry platform, a Sweden-based EdTech company offering innovative solutions towards the digital transformation of the Nigerian education sector.
He expressed the fact that “achieving digital economy is something that no one can succeed in isolation; particularly as the world is increasingly becoming global, which has necessitated the need for more collaborations such that whatever you do, you think global and act local.”
According to the DG, working towards building the nation’s GDP in a global economy would attract foreign markets and investments into the country. He encouraged the Swedish team to go beyond the SchoolTry project and execute more IT driven initiatives, assuring the team of a mutually beneficial partnership.
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, while underscoring the commitment of SchoolTry with its HQ in Stockholm, Sweden, to lead the digitalization of education delivery in Nigeria, expressed appreciation to the NITDA boss for the collaborative efforts enjoyed so far. Adding that he is looking forward to getting more investments from Nigeria in order to grow and expand the company.
He added that, “As Swedish ambassador to Nigeria, we work with a lot of different projects on digitalization because it’s a huge problem for many countries, Sweden included, and also for Nigeria with her huge population. When I learnt about this company ( SchoolTry) founded by a Nigerian in Sweden and working with Education and E-Learning I know that it will be very interesting for Nigeria to engage in because education is a social responsibility for Nigeria and also for Sweden.”
He appealed that the company is also seeking to leverage on some softwares in some of the schools that have NITDA’s IT infrastructures.
Founded in 2018, the SchoolTry, which falls under Digital Literacy and Skills of the NITDA’s seven pillars of Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP- 2021-2024), and also inline with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, is an Integrated mobile and web solution for schools to connect in real-time with teachers, parents and students. The features and functionalities from SchoolTry app is said to reduce cost, improve data management and boost overall efficiency.
The meeting ended with a unanimous agreement for a deepened collaboration in critical areas of the digital economy that is expected to benefit both countries.