“Knowledge is the brand new oil and lifeblood of the digital economic system”– NITDA 

The Nationwide Info Expertise Improvement Company (NITDA) has reiterated the essential function of information in driving Nigeria’s digital economic system.

On the 2024 Digital Nigeria Innovation Problem in Abuja, the company’s Director-Normal, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, described information as “the brand new oil and lifeblood of the digital economic system,” emphasizing its potential to remodel sectors like healthcare, safety, training, and agriculture.

Represented by Mr. Oladejo Olawumi, Director of IT Infrastructure Options, Inuwa highlighted the significance of leveraging information for societal progress.

 “Knowledge is the brand new oil and lifeblood of the digital economic system. It’s reusable and inexhaustible and you may have entry to it if given the licence. 

 Leveraging information for societal change will drive us throughout many sectors like healthcare, safety, training, agriculture and so forth,” he acknowledged.

He additional emphasised the necessity for information sovereignty, noting that prioritizing information safety and privateness is crucial to constructing a thriving digital ecosystem that advantages people and companies.

Innovation Nests  

As a part of its efforts to assist Indigenous digital innovation, NITDA plans to ascertain Innovation Nests in 9 states by 2025. These hubs will provide workspaces, leisure areas, and networking alternatives for startups to collaborate with buyers and business consultants.

“The difficulty of getting one thing home-grown is essential as a result of in the case of information, you’d realise that information is the forex of the digital economic system. It’s what’s driving us now, and the whole lot is all about information,” Inuwa stated

Roadmap for Digital Innovation 

Inuwa outlined the company’s dedication to fostering innovation by its Strategic Roadmap and Motion Plan (SRAP) 2.0.

• He defined that the roadmap aligns with NITDA’s imaginative and prescient to place Nigeria as a pacesetter within the international digital economic system by creating alternatives for native innovators to thrive.
• He additionally urged members to reap the benefits of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA), which offers funding and connects startups with angel buyers to assist commercialize their improvements.
• Ms. Victoria Fabunmi, Nationwide Coordinator of ONDI, emphasised the company’s dedication to advancing digital innovation by strategic initiatives.
• She stated the problem aligns with NITDA’s SRAP and helps the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economic system’s blueprint pillars of Information, Innovation, and Coverage.
• Prof. Kingsley Nwozor, Dean of the College of Bodily Sciences at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu College, recommended the federal authorities for leveraging information to handle nationwide challenges.

He remarked, “Through the pandemic, as an illustration, Nigeria used the Nationwide Centre for Illness Management’s COVID-19 microsite to share instances, updates, testing places and vaccination progress.”