NITDA Advocates AI, Security Integration for Sustainable Development – NITDA

By Fatima Bello

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has emphasised that integrating intelligence, safety, and sustainability is crucial to driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and world competitiveness.

Inuwa made the remarks on Tuesday in Kano whereas delivering a goodwill message on the opening of the nineteenth International Conference (CONNOVATE 2025) of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), themed “Intelligent, Secure, and Sustainable Innovations for a Connected World.”

Represented by Engr. Salisu Kaka, Director of E-Government and Digital Economy Development, Inuwa stated the three parts have been now indispensable drivers of nationwide progress. He highlighted the necessity for his or her convergence to unlock new alternatives in Nigeria’s know-how sector, citing Estonia’s X-Road platform — which allows 99% of presidency companies on-line — as a world mannequin.

“In Nigeria, trust is the ultimate currency in our high-stakes digital environment, where scams and cybercrime are prevalent. Security builds and protects this trust,” Abdullahi stated.

He confused that whereas safety supplies the muse, intelligence builds the construction, pointing to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and knowledge analytics as instruments for addressing Nigeria’s advanced challenges. Warning that “innovation without security is unsustainable,” he likened it to “a high-performance race car without brakes.”

The DG urged the subsequent wave of Nigerian startups to transcend digitising current processes to creating new worth, citing AI-powered wealth administration and ML-driven distant diagnostics as examples.

He additional highlighted the assorted Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) initiatives supporting this imaginative and prescient, together with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, the nationwide digital id programme, interoperable funds, and human capital initiatives similar to the three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) and Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programmes.

Inuwa cited instance with International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) President, Antony Wong, that referred to as for stronger safety and strategic use of knowledge within the Global South to safeguard indigenous data. He confused the significance of authorized readability on knowledge possession as Nigeria’s cultural heritage in medication, ecology, and artwork is digitised and integrated into AI methods. Wong praised Nigeria’s position within the latest World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty defending genetic sources and conventional data.

Delivering his welcome deal with, the NCS President, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo, stated the convention would function a platform for IT professionals to handle crucial points, together with clever methods, fintech, sustainable power, and improvements in agriculture, well being, schooling, and nationwide planning.

“This conference will provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss recent innovations, trends, and solutions for improving technological systems,” Sirajo stated.

The week-long occasion consists of plenary classes, a doctoral consortium, a youth and entrepreneurship discussion board, the Fellows Forum, the Annual General Meeting, an IT quiz competitors for college kids, and an induction ceremony for brand spanking new members. It will conclude with the election of latest nationwide executives, a dinner, and an awards night time honouring contributions to the ICT sector.