Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to deepening inter-agency collaboration in furtherance of its drive to sustainably boost the nation’s digital economy’s performance.
The Director-General gave this assurance when he hosted the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr Charles Ebuebu, on a courtesy visit for the purposes of exploring strategic partnerships in digital transformation and regulatory frameworks across Nigeria’s media and technology sectors.
Speaking during the meeting, Inuwa explained that digital transformation and regulation were inseparable in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystem, adding that digital transformation is not a one-off project but a continuous journey that requires constant improvement, periodic target-setting, and organisational adaptability to emerging realities.
According to him, NITDA deliberately embarked on a transformational journey to reposition itself from a traditional civil service structure to a high-velocity, smart public sector organisation.
- Advertisement -
Inuwa recalled that when the agency began its transformation drive, a significant percentage of its workforce came from the mainstream civil service, bringing with it entrenched bureaucratic mindsets and rigid operational practices, hence this necessitated a conscious decision to change the narrative.
He said: “More than 70 or 80% of our staff came from the mainstream public service, and we know the mindset of public servants, so we started changing that narrative by focusing on people, resetting mindsets, building capacity, and fostering a culture that supports innovation and accountability.”
The Director-General explained that NITDA’s approach to digital transformation was anchored on three core pillars: people, processes, and technology, stressing that no matter how advanced technology may be, it cannot deliver value without the right people and efficient processes in place.
He further disclosed that the agency undertook a comprehensive cultural reorientation programme, supported by cultural audits and initiatives aimed at creating psychological safety within the organisation.
Inuwa maintained that doing this was critical to enabling staff at all levels to freely contribute ideas, challenge existing processes constructively, and engage in horizontal and vertical collaboration without fear of reprisal, adding that the culture remains the foundation upon which any successful strategy must stand.
Giving further insight into the transformation journey, he explained that NITDA adopted an integrated framework encompassing people, process, culture, content, and technology. Through this framework, the agency identified and addressed deeply rooted bureaucratic tendencies such as command-and-control structures, risk aversion, and excessive dependence on directives from senior leadership.
Inuwa clarified that “these reforms paved the way for trust-based delegation, inter-departmental collaboration, and process optimisation”.
He further disclosed that NITDA documented over 396 internal processes and subsequently streamlined them to eliminate inefficiencies and repetitive executive approvals, citing examples where routine operational tasks that previously required multiple approvals at the Director General’s level were redesigned to empower departments as gatekeepers, allowing leadership to focus on strategic priorities.
He said this process optimisation also created the foundation for automation and the integration of digital tools.
On capacity building, the Director-General disclosed that all NITDA staff underwent mandatory artificial intelligence (AI) training, reinforcing the agency’s position that AI is a tool for enhancing productivity rather than replacing human capital.
Noting that staff across departments are now leveraging AI to improve workflows, generate ideas, and transition from manual administrative roles to AI-enabled system administration, Inuwa described technology deployment at NITDA as driven by business value rather than trend adoption, stressing that technology must support clearly defined processes and organisational objectives.
This is even as he hinted that the agency had developed a comprehensive digital transformation playbook, capturing lessons learned from its journey, which it is willing to share with NBC and other government institutions.
To strengthen his agency’s collaboration with NBC, Inuwa proposed some areas of partnership, including sharing the agency’s digital transformation playbook, delivering tailored training and capacity-building programmes, enrolling NBC staff in digital literacy initiatives developed with global technology partners such as Cisco, and providing technical support for modernising regulatory frameworks to align with the evolving digital and media ecosystem.
Earlier in this remarks, the NBC boss called for deeper collaboration between the NBC and NITDA, describing the partnership as long overdue in the face of rapid media and technology convergence.
He noted that although he had had several insightful interactions with the NITDA’s Director-General in the past, it was important to institutionalise cooperation between both agencies to address emerging developments in media, technology, data governance, and Nigeria’s digital future.
While calling for closer ties between the two agencies, Ebuebu emphasised that a strategic partnership between NBC and NITDA is critical to effectively regulate the evolving media ecosystem, harness technology for content creation and distribution, promote the growth of local media, facilitate knowledge transfer, and protect Nigeria’s cultural and national interests.
