The Federal Government has called for the acceleration of broadband, fibre-optic networks and rural connectivity programmes in underserved regions of the country.
The Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, made the call in his keynote speech at the 2025 ITGOV Conference, yesterday in Abuja.
Inuwa spoke on the theme: “Advancing Government Operations Through Digital Transformation”.
The one-day annual conference was organised by Tranter IT and ManageEngine.
The D-G, who was represented by his Technical Assistant, Dr Femi Adeluyi, said that the world was witnessing a digital revolution that was redefining the way that governments function.
He said that the Nigerian government had embarked on a journey to leverage digital transformation to drive development and growth.
“Governments are waking up to a powerful realisation that digital transformation is not a luxury but a necessity.
“According to a 2023 report by the United Nations e-government Survey, over 70 per cent of countries globally have improved their digital government development index, with leading examples from Estonia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
“These governments are not just digitising services, they are transforming operations.
“They are building citizen-centric platforms, leveraging data for better policy decisions and ensuring that services are inclusive, accessible, and resilient,” he said.
He said that the ministry and NITDA were driving reforms aligned with the president’s vision.
He said that the Digital Transformation Working Group (DTWG) had worked with MDAs across sectors to develop and implement its plans, focused on automation, service delivery, cloud adoption, and data-driven governance.
Inuwa said that digital transformation was not just about technology but rethinking and building a government that listens, responds and evolves with its citizens.
“Nigeria has the potential to become a model for Africa,” he said.
Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki Arabi, urged the federal and state governments to continue moving in lockstep-aligning priorities.
Arabi, represented by Sulola Johnson, Director of Strategy Innovation Research, BPRS, said that governments should keep sharing data and coordinating systems to deliver seamless services to Nigerians, regardless of geography.
He said that BPRS was committed to training 500,000 public servants in digital literacy and emerging technologies, equipping them to manage and sustain these technologies for long-term impact.
“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, IT automation has become not just a tool, but a strategic imperative for modern governance.
“From eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks to improving service delivery and accountability, automation is at the very heart of the transformation journey we must all embark upon.
“Digital tools alone cannot drive transformation. We must invest in people, the true enablers of innovation,” Arabi said.