The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering robust collaboration among researchers, technology experts, and academics to tackle national challenges through innovation and cutting-edge technology.
This commitment was emphasized by NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa, CCOE, during a visit by the management of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman, to the agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
Inuwa stressed that stronger collaboration between academics, engineers, and entrepreneurs is essential to address pressing national issues like environmental sustainability, public health, and infrastructure. This focus aligns with NITDA’s mission to build a robust technology research ecosystem, prioritizing Digital Literacy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Research & Development (R&D), and supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
To institutionalize this synergy, NITDA and NSUK have agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership is expected to accelerate innovation, empower students with vital digital skills, and contribute to national development through research-driven solutions.
The DG highlighted the profound, transformative potential of AI beyond simple office automation, particularly in critical sectors like healthcare and agriculture.
“Imagine developing a bot that can provide quality health services to our remote areas,” Inuwa proposed, noting that AI can help fill the gap created by the lack of specialist doctors in many communities.
He referenced a recent Nigerian study where AI-powered chatbots, such as ChatGPT, were tested against human doctors in providing medical prescriptions. The results showed that AI-generated prescriptions were often comparable to, and in some cases even better than, those provided by human doctors.
“This underscores the potential of AI in telemedicine, offering accessible and efficient healthcare services to underserved communities,” Inuwa added, reinforcing NITDA’s commitment to leveraging technology for national progress.
In her remarks, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman expressed deep appreciation for NITDA’s support, highlighting NSUK’s role as a pioneer participant in NITDA’s digital transformation program—a model the National Universities Commission (NUC) is now working to extend across other Nigerian universities.
She emphasized the university’s commitment to advancing technology education, noting that NSUK has established a Digital Literacy Center where students are working on developing tech gadgets. “Our goal is to ensure that our students are not only well-prepared for Nigeria but also globally competitive wherever they go,” Professor Liman concluded.