NITDA advocates safe, responsible use of data

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Monday, underscored the need for safe and responsible use of data to build a formidable digital economy ecosystem.

Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, said this at the 2024 Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge organised by their subsidiary, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) in Abuja.

The Digital Nigeria Innovation Challenge, showcased the talent and innovation of Nigerian tech entrepreneurs and reinforced the agency’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant digital community and empowering the next generation of tech leaders.

Represented by Mr Oladejo Olawumi, Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions, Inuwa said that data sovereignty was important in ensuring Nigeria’s digital future.

“By prioritising data security and privacy, the agency aims to foster a thriving digital ecosystem that benefits both individuals and businesses.

“This aligns with the agency’s pillars in its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, and NITDA’s vision to position Nigeria as a leader in the global digital economy, creating opportunities for innovators to thrive in an ever-changing technological landscape.

“The issue of having something home-grown is very important because when it comes to data, you would realise that data is the currency of the digital economy. It is what is driving us now and everything is all about data,” he said.

The D-G urged the participants to take advantage of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) in promoting their solutions in line with SRAP 2.0.

Inuwa further said that according to the NSA, it was designed to provide proper funding for startups to develop their ideas, meet with angel investors and help project their innovation for commercialisation.

He also said the agency was committed to ensuring that indigenous digital innovation such as the Innovation Nests expected in 2025 would thrive.

Inuwa disclosed that the innovation nests, which were designed to inspire creativity, have facilities for work, leisure space, and opportunity to network with investors, would be created in nine states of the federation.

Inuwa told the contestants of the challenge to leverage the provided platforms to achieve their dreams, adding that Nigeria had the talent, and NITDA would ensure that talents were nurtured and celebrated.

Earlier, Ms Victoria Fabunmi, National Coordinator of the ONDI, stated that the event was designed to spotlight groundbreaking ideas and foster collaboration in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.

Fabunmi, while emphasising the agency’s commitment to advancing digital innovations through strategic initiatives, said the challenge aligned with the agency’s SRAP and was fulfilling the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s blueprint pillars of Knowledge, Innovation, and Policy.

The competition began with 1500 representatives from across the 36 states including FCT and later came down to six states making it to the finals in Abuja.

Team Inframapperss, a dynamic team of young Kaduna state innovators comprising of Lukman Abdulharim, Bello Abdullahi and Muhammad Alaamin, won with the price of N5m, while other representatives from Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Edo and Lagos states, each received N1m.

Prof. Kingsley Nwozor, Dean, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, commended the federal government for using data to provide solutions to problems confronting the country.

Nwozor stated that more work and education needed to be done because of the many opportunities that lay within the ecosystem.

“During the pandemic, for instance, Nigeria used the National Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 microsite to share cases, updates, testing locations and vaccination progress.

“Data is the new oil and lifeblood of the digital economy. It is reusable, inexhaustible and you can have access to it if given the licence.

“Leveraging data for societal change will drive us across many sectors like healthcare, security, education, agriculture and so on,” he said.