By Martin Ekpeke
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) successfully cleared a total of 1,056 Information Technology (IT) project proposals worth ₦3.84 trillion between July 2023 and July 2026.
The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed the figures during a plenary session titled “Nigeria First, Procurement Last: How E-commerce is Rewriting Contracts” at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Highlighting the massive scale of federal technology spending, Inuwa revealed that during the three-year period, the Agency received a total of 1,092 IT project proposals valued at over ₦4.24 trillion from 326 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Out of these submissions, 1,056 projects met the regulatory benchmark to receive clearance.
“When we talk about digital sovereignty, it’s about us as a nation to build the capability for digital self-determination,” Inuwa stated, emphasizing that public IT spending must directly serve national interests.
Inuwa stressed that the rigorous clearance process forms part of NITDA’s commitment to advancing Nigeria’s digital sovereignty through comprehensive reforms in public IT procurement and building confidence in locally developed software. He noted that these measures directly align with national economic priorities aimed at driving sustainable growth, enhancing public governance, and accelerating diversification via industrialisation and digitisation.
According to the DG, public procurement under the “Nigeria First” policy must serve as a strategic driver to guarantee that government investments deliver tangible value while domestic capacity is strengthened.
Concluding his address, Inuwa urged public institutions to define clear problem statements and expected outcomes rather than prescribing rigid technologies, while charging legal practitioners to draft robust tech contracts that protect data ownership, intellectual property, and security requirements.
“We look at public procurement not just as a way of government spending money, but as a powerful instrument government has for shaping markets, for building our national capabilities, as well as for creating opportunities for our innovators,” Inuwa added, pointing to Nigeria’s fintech sector as proof of what targeted policy can achieve.