The National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has assessed and cleared Information Technology (IT) Projects of Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) in Nigeria worth N1.168 trillion in the last five months.
The Director-General of NITDA, Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi disclosed that the Agency assessed 62 projects worth N1,168,845,213,150.92 between January and May 2020.
Abdullahi said:”Furthermore, our analysis has shown that about N64,878,725,488.02 was spent on software and software enabled projects to be delivered by MDAs in service to the public.”
The Director-General of the Agency who was represented by the Director of Infrastructure Solution,Mr. Abdullahi Usman at a webinar with the theme:Harnessing Indigenous Solution for Public Innovation and Digital Economy Development”, also disclosed that the assessment showed that even more can been achieved, with a deeper collaboration between the public and private sectors going forward using technology as a driver for public services.
He told participants at the webinar,which was organised in conjunction with CoCreation Hub and IT services and solutions providers in Nigeria that NITDA needs collaboration that will create vast opportunities for more Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) or collaboration with multilaterals and Development Finance Institutions (DFI’s) to even co-fund these projects and deepen the opportunity for learning to create tailor made solutions for societal problems.
He said: “as public finances are strained due to the global economic downturn as triggered by the pandemic, the opportunity for innovation and co-ideation will bring other benefits and partnerships to MDAs to include capacity building and access to global tools in addition to other finance sources.”
According Abdullahi, NITDA will soon issue frameworks on the development of Government Digital Services and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in IT Projects as there is an urgent need for government to accelerate the delivery of government digital services for the benefit of Nigerians.
He stated that for the successful development and delivery of Government Digital Services, it is significantly important that innovative Nigerian companies are engaged very early in the project conceptualization and design stages to achieve some of the benefits highlighted.
Abdullahi noted that the COVID-19 effect on the economy, governance and public service delivery has spurred a greater urgency for the development of Government Digital Services and a Digital Economy for Nigeria.
He assured the stakeholders that “engaging our indigenous innovative digital technology companies will play a vital role to improving services to citizens in these trying times and beyond.”
The stakeholders delibrated on NITDA’s Guidelines on Nigerian Content Development in ICT and the Presidential Executive Order 003 – Support for Local Content in Public Procurement by MDAs of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Presidential Executive Order 005 – For Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology, which enable collaborations between the public and organized private sectors.
Isaiah Erhiawarien, Lagos
