Nigeria-Ghana IT Cooperation Will Foster Disruptive Innovations, Says NITDA

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that the partnership between Nigeria and Ghana in the IT sector will foster disruptive innovations throughout the two nations and the continent of Africa.

This was stated by Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by Hadiza Umar, Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations.

Inuwa made the statement during a three-day working visit by a delegation from the Ghanaian National Information Technology Agency (NITA), led by Richard Fosu, the agency's director-general.

The purpose of the tour was to examine Nigeria's IT policy and regulatory documents and look for potential areas of partnership.

According to Inuwa, who was referenced by Umar, Africa enjoyed a competitive advantage due to its population and talent throughout the fourth industrial revolution.

“A symbiotic relationship between Nigeria and Ghana will engender disruptive innovations that will solve many challenges pervading the continent.

“This kind of visit will strengthen the relationship between our two agencies and build a stronger IT ecosystem in Africa.

“No one can succeed in isolation, and if we really want to succeed as a continent, we need to collaborate, we need to work together.

“We need to learn from our experiences and share expertise so that we can work and grow together,” he said.

He asserts that African nations may take advantage of their abundant natural and human resources to advance technology across the continent.

Inuwa added that the Nigerian government had stopped enforcing rules on the ecosystem and had instead recognised the need of cooperation in fostering an environment that would allow the ecosystem to flourish.

He added that NITDA had produced a number of legislative measures, policy guidelines, and efforts to build an admirable IT ecosystem in the nation, one that has had a significant impact on both the continent and the world.

The Ghanian delegates were also given a tour of the organization's Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) division by Inuwa.

Fosu, the Ghanaian equivalent, praised NITDA for strengthening and promoting the country's IT ecosystem in the direction of a resilient digital economy.

He revealed that the ministry in charge of NITA had similarly broadened its purview to encompass digitalization and was now called as the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization to reflect the significance of the latter.

Fosu gave his word that they will use the NITDA's regulatory tools and policy guidelines for implementation.

“We will be working closely with NITDA in bridging the gaps identified in Ghana and Africa as a whole.

“This is not a one-time visit but we will definitely come back.

"We have come to learn and hope that we can make the needed impact in Ghana,” he said.