Nigeria’s economic growth: A case for NITDA Bill 2021

By Rahma Oladosu

There is no denying the fact that Nigeria has a competitive advantage to become the global talent factory in the technology sector which has the capacity to earn billions of dollars every year.

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, recently commented on the vacancy of about four million programmers globally. With its huge reservoir, Nigeria can produce a huge number of tech talents that would join the value chain.

Kashifu referenced a PwC report which noted that an average developer or programmer earns between $30,000 and $150,000 per annum. The corporation said if Nigeria can have two million developers working remotely earning about $20,000 each, the country can generate over $40billion annually, an amount that would boost the country’s foreign exchange.

“The digital economy is about innovation, about people, about talent. So, talent is the people component of technology which I think is where Nigeria will have the competitive advantage over any nation in the world,” Kashifu stressed.

It is necessary, due to controversies over the NITDA Bill 2021, to examine the law that empowers the agency – NITDA Act 2007, No. 28, published in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No 99, Vol 94 ,dated October 2007.

The Act says the agency shall: “(a) Create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardisation, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of IT practices, activities and systems in Nigeria… provide access to IT and systems penetration including rural, urban and under-served areas; (b) Provide guidelines to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of appropriate IT and systems application and development for public and private sectors, urban-rural development and the economy; (c) Develop guidelines for electronic governance and monitor the use of electronic data interchange and other forms of transactions as an alternative to paper-based methods in government, commerce, education, private and public sectors, labour, and other fields.

NITDA shall: (d) Develop guidelines for the networking of public and private sector establishment; (e) Develop guidelines for the standardisation and certification of IT Escrow Source Code and Object Code Domiciliation, Application and Delivery Systems in Nigeria; (f) Render advisory services in all IT matters to the public and private sectors; (g) Create incentives to promote the use of IT in all spheres of life in Nigeria including the development of guidelines for setting up of IT systems and knowledge parks; (h) Introduce appropriate regulatory policies and incentives to encourage private sector investment in the IT industry; (i) Collaborate with any local or state government, company, firm, or person in any activity intended to facilitate the attainment of the objective of this Act.

In conclusion, the Act empowers NITDA to: (j) Determine critical areas in IT requiring research intervention and development in those areas; (k) Advice the Government on ways of promoting the development of IT in Nigeria including introducing appropriate legislation, to enhance national security and vibrancy of the industry; (l) Accelerate internet and intranet penetration in Nigeria and promote sound Internet Governance by giving effect to the Second Schedule of this Act; and (m) Perform such other duties, which in the opinion of the Agency are necessary or expedient to ensure the efficient performance of the functions of the Agency.”

The above exposes the repeatedly told lie that NITDA is just a development arm of government and not a regulatory outfit. The fact is that the agency is a strong regulator empowered by relevant laws, with milestones in its mandate under the supervision of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy led by Professor Isa Ali Pantami.

NITDA has been working round the clock to ensure that citizens are up to date on digital economy. It has commenced its one million developers initiative aimed at empowering Nigerians to plug into the global value chain. The programme’s focus is to build talents on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics, and data analytics.

The agency’s commitment to training on disruptive technologies is surely going to change the way we live, work and do business, even as it continues to perform exceedingly well on its developmental and regulatory mandate based on the 2007 Act.

NITDA has trained youth, women, journalists among others on digital marketing, digital journalism and other skills to enable them to play active roles in society, create job opportunities and be financially independent. Hundreds of hub managers have been mentored while students and teachers have been trained on modern technological skills. Beyond the training, participants and trainees received tools including laptops and desktops.

Apart from inaugurating the Data Breach Investigation Team in partnership with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), NITDA merged Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Office of National Contented Development to Office of Nigerian Digital innovation.

The agency registered over 75 Domain names for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), States and Local Governments; Certified Indigenous IT Companies; licensed over 103 Data Protection and Compliance Organisations (DPCOs); licensed 12 indigenous OEMs and issued 172 Certificates for Indigenous IT Contactors and Service Providers promoting local contents.

NITDA established the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT); Digital Transformation Working Group (DTWG) across 100 MDAs to support the Nigeria ICT Innovation Entrepreneurship vision; Nigeria Digital Agriculture Strategy (NDAS 2020-2030), and National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR)

Its Academy facilitated research and training with over 67 active courses, more than 57,774 active students and 54,829 active training sessions. In addition, it established training partnerships with multinational corporations, and National Adopted School for Smart Education (NASSE) to promote digital literacy and skills.

NITDA has gone far in providing key frameworks, guidelines and strategy. Aside developing Public Private Partnership (PPP) regulatory framework for ICT and eGovernment projects, it also developed the Public Service Network (PSnet); Document Management System Guidelines for Federal Public Institutions (FPIs); Government Digital Service Framework (GDSFrame); draft National Outsourcing Strategy 2020-2025.

Others are National BlockChain Adoption Strategy Document; Nigeria Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Startup Policy (NDIESP); Nigeria Cloud Computing Policy (NCCP), and Government Digital Transformation Performance (Readiness) Assessment Toolkit (GDT/PAT).

These achievements do not take into account several other projects. Nigeria is well in a better position to become a hub of digital excellence over the next few years, and with a population of over 200 million people, training on proper utilisation of digital content would open various doors to youths in desperate search for jobs.

Why NITDA Bill 2021?

The digital economy presents a number of unique challenges and opportunities that may not be adequately addressed by existing regulatory frameworks. For example, the rapid pace of technological change in the digital economy may require NITDA to be more flexible and responsive in its approach.

Amending the establishing laws would help to ensure that the agency has the necessary powers and resources to carry out its functions thoroughly. These comprise the authority to set standards and guidelines specifically tailored to the needs of the digital economy, investigate and enforce penalties for noncompliance.

Regulating the digital economy in a firm manner will protect the interests of Nigerians and businesses. Digital platforms and services will operate in a transparent environment where personal data and privacy are safeguarded.

Still, there is no overlap between the laws establishing NITDA and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Both agencies play a role in supervising the use of IT, though in different ways. NITDA is responsible for developing and enforcing policies and guidelines related to the use of IT in public and private sectors, while the NCC is responsible for regulating the telecommunications industry.

Furthermore, both authorities investigate and penalise organisations that violate standards and regulations. However, amending NITA laws will guarantee digital economy is used responsibly, help Nigeria make more revenue through forex, and put the country at par with counterparts across the world.

Rahma Oladosu is Staff Writer with Economic Confidential, Abuja.