The director-general of the Nationwide Info Know-how Improvement Company (NITDA), Dr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has known as on Nigerian youth to take the frontline position in shaping Africa’s digital transformation.
The continent’s future and prosperity, he mentioned, rely on how successfully Nigeria builds and protects its digital capabilities at dwelling.
The three-day convention, organised by NITDA, brings collectively policymakers, innovators, know-how entrepreneurs, growth companions, and international trade leaders to discover rising traits shaping Nigeria’s and Africa’s digital future.
It serves as an necessary bridge between authorities and trade, harmonising regulatory frameworks, strengthening public–non-public partnerships, and advancing the implementation of nationwide digital methods for inclusive, sustainable development.
Dr Inuwa emphasised that this yr’s theme, “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Progress, Inclusion, and International Competitiveness,” aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, significantly its concentrate on financial diversification by way of digitalisation, industrialisation, and innovation.
With greater than 220 million folks and a mean age of 18, Nigeria stands at a decisive second. In line with Dr Inuwa, the nation may unlock unprecedented financial alternative – or danger deepening socio-economic vulnerabilities – relying on how successfully it empowers younger Nigerians.
“If we harness the power, creativity, and expertise of our youth, we won’t solely energy Nigeria, however we will energy the complete continent into a brand new period of prosperity. But when we fail to talent our youth and fail to supply platforms for them to create worth, we’re stunting probably the most worthwhile asset we have now,” he warned.
In his welcome handle, the NITDA DG underscored that Digital Nigeria is greater than a convention – it’s “a motion powered by concepts and strengthened by the steadfast perception that Nigeria is poised for greatness within the digital age.”
He highlighted the nation’s ongoing transformation throughout key pillars: increasing broadband entry, strengthening identification and cybersecurity techniques, scaling AI and rising applied sciences, accelerating startup development, and getting ready expertise for international competitiveness.
Critically, Dr Inuwa confused Nigeria’s dedication to digital sovereignty, making certain that the nation builds, owns, and protects the infrastructure, information techniques, and native capabilities that underpin nationwide growth.
“We’re constructing techniques that defend our information, empower our folks, and strengthen our capability to innovate regionally. That is how we safe our digital sovereignty and construct a resilient, impartial digital economic system,” he mentioned.
He emphasised that sovereignty is just not solely about information governance but in addition about native cloud infrastructure, home compute functionality, interoperable digital public infrastructure, and the power to ‘design, deploy, and defend’ Nigeria’s digital property inside its borders.
The profitable internet hosting of Digital Nigeria 2025 reinforces the nation’s place as Africa’s innovation hub and affirms NITDA’s management in shaping the insurance policies, partnerships, and capabilities that can outline the continent’s subsequent decade of digital development
