The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has expressed full commitment to the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to promote a digital Nigeria.
The director-general of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, made this commitment in his goodwill message at the virtual commissioning of eight digital economy projects for a digital Nigeria, which was the 12th batch in the series of projects commissioned by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the parastatals under it.
Abdullahi congratulated the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami on his second-year anniversary in office, saying the minister’s achievements were unprecedented and
gave assurances of his agency’s support and commitment to the full implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) in creating a sustainable digital Nigeria.
“At NITDA, based on our Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) we will key in 100 per cent into the implementation of the NDEPS and cascade our activities in line with the policy,” he added.
The eight projects virtually commissioned by the minister include Emergency Communications Centre (ECC), Makurdi, Benue State (north central); Virtual Examination Centre, College of Education, Argungu, Kebbi State (north west); E-Accessibility Centre, Alderstown Schools for the Deaf, Warri, Delta State (south south); E-Health/Data Sharing Project, Leko Abdulrahman Hospital, Daura, Katsina State (north west); Digital Economy Centre & e-learning facilities, Ogba Grammar Shool, Lagos State (south west); Digital Economy Centre & e-learning facilities, St Paul Secondary School, Eke, Enugu State (south east); Digital Economy Centre & e-learning facilities, Federal Character Commission, Abuja (north central); and E-Accessibility Centre, Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children School, Bauchi State (north east).
Earlier, Pantami, who gave a stewardship report of the ministry’s achievement under his leadership said the ministry and its parastatals had generated over N1 trillion for the Federal Government in less than two years which translated to an average of about N44 billion every month or over N1.4 billion every day.
The minister who itemised his achievement in the ministry in the last two years under five sub-headings said the ministry and its parastatals had commissioned 1,667 ICT projects and centres with about 455 others ongoing.
According to him, the 8 projects represent a very small percentage (less that 0.5 per cent) of the 1,667 projects and programmes that have been established across the country in less than 2 years.
He also said 219,198 citizens benefitted from direct digital skills trainings, explaining the ministry had offered the mass trainings as part of its efforts to promote a paradigm shift from the general societal focus on degrees to a strong focus on skills.
Pantami also underscored 16 national policies were developed within the period, saying the ministry followed a systematic and well-thought-out approach which required the development and implementation of national policies.
“We have developed 16 national policies- 15 of them focus on specific pillars in the general National Digital Economy Policy for a digital Nigeria,” he said.
He further said the ministry through its parastatal, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) recorded 61 million National Identification Number (NIN) enrolments.
“From the inception of the NIN enrolment process to September 2020, there were 42 million unique NIN enrolments. Through our supervision, this number roled to 61,092,044 NIN enrolments as at the 11th of August, 2021.
“The increase of about 20 million enrolments in less than a year is unprecedented,” he added.
The minister added N1.054 trillion revenue generated by the ministry and its parastatals was through initiatives geared toward supporting the Federal Government in its three main focus areas of economy, security and anti-corruption.
