NITDA Invites Participation From Stakeholders In National Data Strategy

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has urged stakeholders to participate in the National Data Strategy (NDS) to close the gap between data collection and consumption.

The call was made in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja by Hadiza Umar, Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA.

According to Umar, there has been an unprecedented surge in data collection and consumption as a result of the rapid growth in the digital transformation of economic and social activities.

“The NITDA, in furtherance to implementing its mandate as provided in Section 6 of NITDA Act 2007 to standardise, coordinate and develop regulatory frameworks for all IT practices in Nigeria, has developed a draft National Data Strategy (NDS).

“This is in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a digital Nigeria.

“In accordance with the NDEPS, which provides a solid foundation for the Nigerian economy to be data-driven, the NDS aims to harness the potential of data.

”This is for social and economic value creation towards achieving a robust digital economy and ensuring Nigeria becomes a top leader in the global data economy.

“The NDS is developed to accelerate the adoption and use of digital technologies, especially emerging technologies, for data collection, validation, storage, analysis, transmission, and reporting,” she said.

Umar claims that it will increase social and economic progress, prosperity, global competitiveness, research and innovation, digital services, the digital economy, job creation, and sustainable development.

She continued by saying that the NDS was created in accordance with international best practises and was based on principles that would ensure fairness in the digital sphere, promote competition in the data market, create opportunities for data-driven innovation, and increase data accessibility for all.

Umar said: “In view of the foregoing and as part of NITDA’s stakeholder approach to the development of policy documents, the agency wishes to invite all critical stakeholders and interested parties to a stakeholder engagement for the review of the draft NDS.”

According to Umar, the meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday. Anyone interested in attending should register at http://bit.lv/3EfoMqn.

She added that the draught NDS may be accessed at https://nitda.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Final-Draft-National-Data-Strategy.pdf on the NITDA website.

Umar advised that feedback and comments should be sent to [email protected] or [email protected] by Wednesday at the latest.

“For more information and inquiries, please contact Dr Ayodele Bakare via 08038577488 or Lukman Lamid via 08035716467.”