The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called on the Ondo State government to empower its citizens with digital skills and provide essential digital infrastructure to enable the establishment of innovation-driven enterprises within the state.
The call was made by the NITDA director-general, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi during his keynote address titled “Tech-Forward Ondo” at the Develop Ondo 2.1 virtual summit organised by the state’s Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations.
Represented by the acting director of the corporate planning and strategy department, Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Abdullahi emphasised the importance of preparing people for future jobs to compete effectively in the digital economy. He highlighted the need for the state government to prioritise education and enhance the digital skills of its workforce by establishing efficient safety nets to support digital transactions.
Acknowledging the state’s abundant human capital, both locally and in the diaspora, Abdullahi stressed that digital transformation would only have a meaningful impact if the people were adequately prepared to participate in the global digital economy. He emphasised the continuous evolution of technology in the state’s processes, urging the government to adapt to new technologies for efficient service delivery.
According to Abdullahi, creating an enabling environment for increased efficiency and innovation is essential for empowering the public and private sectors to function collaboratively. This requires the availability of critical public digital infrastructure to facilitate digital innovation, he added.
Highlighting numerous opportunities for the state, Abdullahi recommended replicating a technological hub like “Yaba” in Akure, fostering public-private partnerships for digital talent development programs, adopting the National Digital Literacy Framework for the state’s education curriculum, organising innovation challenges for startups, engaging the diaspora for mentorship and building essential digital infrastructure.
Abdullahi encouraged the state to consider partnering with NITDA to drive digital innovation and entrepreneurship, ultimately increasing the number of innovation-driven enterprises and expanding Nigeria’s pool of talented innovators. He commended the state and the organisers for their initiative, describing the event as a “momentous occasion to deliberate on ways to harness the abundant opportunities that digitisation and technological innovation offer”.
