Digital infrastructure critical to Nigeria’s economic growth – NITDA DG

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The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has emphasised the need for inclusive digital infrastructure, affordable connectivity and sustained investment in emerging technologies to accelerate Nigeria’s economic growth.

Inuwa stated this while participating in a session titled “Inclusive Growth in the Digital Age” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES 32), organised by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning while highlighting the importance of expanding telecommunications infrastructure to underserved and rural communities.

Reflecting on the growth of the telecommunications sector since 2000, he recalled that many investors were initially reluctant to commit resources to the industry because of doubts about Africans’ ability to afford mobile phones.

According to him, innovation must focus on democratising access, reducing costs and extending connectivity to rural communities to ensure that every citizen can participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

He noted that connectivity has become fundamental to social and economic inclusion, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly shapes decision-making and service delivery worldwide.

“If you are not represented, if you are not digitally visible, AI will not see you or consider you when making decisions,” he said, stressing that the exclusion of communities from the digital ecosystem could also mean the underrepresentation of their cultures, values and languages in emerging technologies.

Inuwa said the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, was committed to using technology to promote inclusivity and national prosperity.

According to him, the USPF initiative is designed to extend telecommunications coverage to underserved areas through the deployment of base stations, while Project BRIDGE aims to deploy approximately 95,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure nationwide.