NITDA Seeks Stakeholder Participation For Better Digital Economy

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has requested international stakeholders' cooperation on Tuesday in order to advance Nigeria's digital economy.

The 2023 NITDA/FIRS Stakeholders Engagements Conference was held in Lagos, according to NAN and the call was made by the NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa.

Inuwa said the stakeholders' assistance was essential to the country's digital economy and urged them to take additional action and make on-time levies payments.

NITDA DG and stakeholders

According to him, NITDA's ability to support and promote an environment that allows Nigeria to grow, produce, and reap the benefits of the digital economy depends on the assistance of a variety of stakeholders.

"So, looking at the ecosystem,  we believe that we cannot succeed in isolation, the ecosystem  has five critical stakeholders with you as the most critical stakeholders.

"NITDA is committed to embracing emerging  technologies, developing  policies and creatingenabling environment for startups and entrepreneurs to survive.

"We believe that with you all we can build a more prosperous Nigeria, a country that is at the forefront  of Africa’s digital economy and a nation that can compete globally.

"We believe in team work and together nothing is impossible, we work together and create a prosperous ecosystem for all,’’ he said.

NITDA DG, Kashifu Inuwa

When pleading for cooperation, Inuwa emphasised the advantages of creating a worldwide talent factory, finishing the secretariat for the startup act's implementation, and reaching 98% digital literacy by the year 3030, among others.

He said that none of this would be feasible without the involvement of the stakeholders, as their assistance is required to finish the secretariat in March and pass the Startup Act, which will aid in increasing forecasted inflow into the nation.

Nonetheless, he emphasised various difficulties faced by NITDA, including limited market access, limited skill availability, and limited early-stage investment.

Muhammad Nami, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), stated that among other things, the payment of a fee of 1% of corporations' and enterprises' profit before tax is one way that NITDA is financed.

Nami stated that FIRS is a crucial partner of NITDA while being represented by Kabir Abba, Group Lead General Tax, Operation Group.

He stated that in accordance with Section 16 of the NITDA Act, we support the assessment, collection, and accounting of their revenue (2007).

“In 2022, FIRS collected and remitted the sum of N22,574,099,600.06 and the total sum collected by FIRS on behalf of the agency from 2008 to December 2022 is N168, 847, 118, 268.22,” he said.

He asserts that it is crucial to highlight the agency's accomplishments, particularly given that taxpayers may readily draw a relationship between their tax payments and their socioeconomic effects, which will also help to increase voluntary compliance.

He added that organisations like FIRS, for instance, always carry out projects that are primarily motivated by the use of information technology, and that many of these initiatives, including the recently adopted Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate, have been carried out successfully (ETCC).

According to him, FIRS also made the "TaxproMax" solution available, which has improved taxpayer compliance and tax collection.

Most crucially, according to Nami, FIRS was able to use technology to lessen the cost of compliance on taxpayers.

He said that it made use of this legislation to implement technology for taxpayer compliance and lower taxpayer compliance costs.

He disclosed that the FIRS 2022 collection is N10.1 trillion, a 57.8% increase from the N6.4 trillion collected in 2021.

He said that a significant portion of the growth might be traced to the use of technology, which had begun producing the desired outcomes.

“NITDA’s collection has also shown a significant improvement as the highest collection recorded thus far was in 2022 at N22,574,099,600.06.

"We will continue to ensure that no revenue gap is left uncovered in our quest to improve tax administration with particular emphasis on full deployment of technology across our service lines and internal operations,” he said.

Nami stated that it was crucial for FIRS to highlight the agency's accomplishments, particularly in cases where the use of technology in the processes of tax collection and payment has a positive impact on taxpayers and the capacity of the government to provide social goods, essential infrastructure, and other essential services.

However, the executive chairman gave the FIRS the assurance that they will keep helping the NITDA carry out its goal of creating and regulating information technology for sustainable development.

“As well as being the prime catalyst for transforming Nigeria into an IT driven economy.

"This support is important as Information Technology plays a vital role in the operations of the Service and in ensuring increased revenue for the nation,” he said.