Nigerian Government unveils digital governance vision as ICEGOV 2025 opens in Abuja

*Dr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, emphasises ICEGOV 2025 offers Nigeria a veritable platform to ‘learn, share, and shape that future together’, stating the overarching objective is to build capacity, infrastructure, and right policies for digital self-determination in Africa

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria has continued to record remarkable milestones in the journey towards digital leadership, as the country showcases its digital governance vision at the ICEGOV 2025, in Abuja, FCT.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in his welcome address at the event, restated Nigeria’s commitment to leading Africa’s digital governance transformation, emphasising research, collaboration, and digital literacy as key drivers of inclusive national development.

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Inuwa said the landmark event was in sync with the  Nigerian Presidency’s redefined priority areas of Reforming the Economy for Sustained Inclusive Growth, Enhancing Infrastructure as an Enabler of Growth, Improving Governance for Effective Service Delivery and Accelerating Economic Diversification through Digitalisation, Industrialisation, Creative Arts, Manufacturing and Innovation.

The Director-General of the country’s IT sector regulatory agency stated this at the 18th Edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) 2025, with the theme: “Shaping the Future of Digital Governance through Cooperation, Innovation, and Inclusion”, held at Shehu Musa Yara’dua Centre in Abuja, FCT.

NITDA also emphasised the ICEGOV was conceived in 2007 as an annual gathering to bring together the academia, governments, international organisations, civil society, and industry to share the latest insights and experiences in the theory and practice of Electronic Governance.

The agency also noted the forum attracts diverse teams from multiple disciplines and cultures to tackle complex issues and emerging global challenges, with a focus on sustainable development, social inclusion, and active citizenship.

Nigeria making visible progress in digital leadership, says Inuwa

In regard to the overarching objective of the event, Inuwa described ICEGOV 2025 as “a remarkable milestone” in Nigeria’s journey towards digital leadership.

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He also stated: “Tonight marks a remarkable milestone in our journey to making Nigeria a leader in digital governance.

“Our participation in previous ICEGOV events inspired us to take on the challenge of hosting the 2025 Edition, the first ever in West Africa.”

The Director-General of NITDA stressed that Nigeria’s increased involvement in ICEGOV is driven by the vision of Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).

According to Inuwa, Dr. Tijani insisted that Nigeria must not only attend but also contribute through research and capacity building.

The Chief Executive of the IT sector regulatory agency recalled: “Honourable Minister said he wanted us to host workshops at the ICEGOV 2024 because he believes in research, and that if we really want to build a robust and sustainable economy, especially in the digital era, we need to invest heavily in deep research, especially in deep tech.”

Hosting ICEGOV 2025, Inuwa stated, aligns perfectly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA).

According to him, the agenda prioritises economic diversification through digitalisation, industrialisation, creative arts, manufacturing and innovation.

Asserting that the event’s theme mirrors the core of Nigeria’s digital strategy, the NITDA Chief further explained that co-creation and collaboration are central to the Ministry’s policies, ensuring that digital solutions are designed inclusively and reflect the needs of citizens.

Besides, Inuwa highlighted how the conference theme aligned with the Ministry’s strategic plan of “Accelerating the Nation’s Collective Prosperity” through Technical Efficiency, which is anchored on five pillars.

He disclosed the pillars are Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Trade, and ‘Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Capital’.

Inuwa as well spotlighted the advantage of Nigerian youths, as he said the country’s young, digitally native population presents a major opportunity for growth.

The Director-General, explained: “Digital transformation is not just about technology.

“It’s about improving how we serve our citizens, and governance must meet citizens where they are, which is online.

“Our goal is to build trust, efficiency, and better service experiences.”

Highlights of NITDA’s initiatives, programmes on digital literacy

In supporting the FMCIDE’s vision, Inuwa detailed NITDA’s wide-ranging initiatives and programmes aimed at enhancing digital literacy and public sector capacity.

These, he noted, include the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), aimed at ensuring every Nigerian acquires digital skills from early education to adulthood, a collaboration with the Ministry of Education to integrate digital literacy into school curricula by next year.

Another is a partnership with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF) to train all public servants with over 24,000 already enrolled, and nationwide campaigns to extend digital skills training to market traders, transport workers, senior citizens, and faith-based groups, he stated.

Inuwa further underscored the importance of knowledge exchange and collaboration across Africa, as he advocated a united effort at attaining digital self-determination.

He asserted: “Our goal is to build the capacity, infrastructure, and right policies for Africa’s digital self-determination. “ICEGOV gives us the platform to learn, share, and shape that future together.”

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