NITDA Seeks Global Partnerships to Accelerate Nigeria’s Digital Transformation
The engagement provided a platform for discussions around artificial intelligence, trusted digital infrastructure, connectivity, investment, digital skills and emerging technologies, as well as the growing importance of technology diplomacy in shaping economic competitiveness and national development.
The Director-General/CEO of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, participated in a high-level engagement convened by the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, bringing together senior technology leaders, investors and digital policy experts to examine how trusted technology, strategic partnerships and international cooperation can accelerate digital transformation.
The engagement provided a platform for discussions around artificial intelligence, trusted digital infrastructure, connectivity, investment, digital skills and emerging technologies, as well as the growing importance of technology diplomacy in shaping economic competitiveness and national development.
Inuwa highlighted Nigeria’s youthful population, expanding digital ecosystem and regulatory clarity as key opportunities for positioning the country as a consumer of global technology and as a creator, partner and competitive destination for technology investment and innovation.
A key message from the engagement was the need to move beyond conversations towards partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes. These include mobilising investment into critical digital infrastructure, strengthening local capabilities, expanding access to global technology markets and ensuring that emerging technologies contribute meaningfully to jobs, productivity and inclusive economic growth.
The high-level engagement included representatives from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Google, Visa, ServiceNow, IREX, APTelecom, Africell, Cybation, United States Telecommunications Training Institute and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue.
Among the distinguished participants were Michelle Giuda, CEO of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue; Janice deGarmo, Chief Global Engagement Officer, Krach Institute; Adam Cassidy, Ambassador at Large for Cyber, Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. Department of State; Mark Mitchell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa, U.S. Department of Commerce; and Sarah Troutman, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
NITDA said the engagement reinforces the recognition that Nigeria’s digital transformation cannot happen in isolation. The agency stressed that building a globally competitive digital economy requires strategic collaboration connecting policy, technology, infrastructure, capital, talent and markets.
The agency said it remains committed to leveraging international partnerships to advance Nigeria’s digital transformation priorities and translate global relationships into investment, knowledge transfer, local capacity, market opportunities and sustainable economic value for Nigerians.
