Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has unveiled a bold roadmap to ensure that 50 million Nigerians are digitally skilled by 2027, positioning the nation as a global powerhouse at the Tech Revolution Africa 2026 conference.
Addressing Africa’s leading innovators at the Landmark Event Centre, Inuwa outlined a future anchored on rapid infrastructure development and a world class digital workforce aimed at closing the gap between local talent and global demand in the fast evolving technology space.
He was represented by the Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, Dr Aristotle Onumo, who delivered a fireside chat titled “Building Nigeria’s Digital Journey: Policy, Infrastructure, and the Road Ahead.” The session detailed NITDA’s strategic approach to national digital transformation built on enabling policies, resilient infrastructure, and people focused innovation.
Emphasising the role of the digital economy in national development, Inuwa said “the digital economy is fundamental for job creation, global competitiveness, and economic growth,” adding that Nigeria is making steady progress despite existing infrastructure gaps. He explained that progress recorded in recent years has been driven largely by policies that support innovation rather than restrict it.
Speaking on data sovereignty, he disclosed that NITDA is collaborating with global hyperscalers to ensure that Nigeria’s data remains hosted locally and managed within the country.
“Talent can be anywhere in the world, but data infrastructure must be built here,” he said, explaining that localising data centres is critical to Nigeria’s data economy and digital sovereignty. He added that the Nigeria Data Protection Act has created a strong legal foundation for safeguarding personal data and strengthening trust across the digital ecosystem.
On talent development, Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s ambitious digital literacy target, stating that “our vision is to ensure that 50 million Nigerians are digitally skilled by 2027.” He noted that the target is being pursued through partnerships with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), educational institutions, universities, the civil service, and private sector partners to drive nationwide digital skills acquisition.
He also highlighted the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, describing it as a transformative initiative designed to build globally competitive technology professionals for the future economy.
Stressing that exporting skills should not be viewed as a loss, Inuwa said “digital talent is global talent, and when our talents go global, the economy benefits through remittances, experience, and reputation.”
He further pointed to the Nigerian Startup Act as a key policy milestone reshaping the innovation landscape by providing incentives, recognition, and structured support for startups. He reiterated that public private collaboration remains central to NITDA’s strategy, noting that “regulation is not meant to stifle innovation, but to amplify it and create new markets.”
Expressing confidence in the country’s digital future, he said “in the next few years, Nigeria’s digital economy will be an engine for growth, and it will be robust, scalable, and globally competitive.”
