The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is considering a software development partnership with Independence Digital, a Russian based organization that specializes in software development.
This anticipated partnership is a display of NITDA’s commitment to the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) by constantly collaborating with relevant stakeholders with the aim of harnessing resources together to digitally transform Nigeria.
Speaking while receiving a team from Independence Digital, led by Pavel Maximenko, the Director General of NITDA, Mal. Kashifu Inuwa told the visitors that , a 10-year policy plan was launched in 2019 by the Federal Government of Nigeria to digitally transform the Nation.
According to him, the 10-year policy plan is contained in the Agency’s Strategic Road Map and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024, which has remained a primary focus of the Director General, who has been relentlessly seeking collaborations within the Innovation Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in ensuring that indigenous startups are provided with the adequate motivation in conceiving and conceptualizing their ideas into impacting innovations.
“It is necessary to come up with policies and regulatory instruments which will help develop the sector in many ways. Since we are talking about software development, we need to come up with software related policies, standards and frameworks that will meet up with international standards,” said Mal. Inuwa, who was represented by Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions, Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi.
While emphatically stating that Indigenous Content Development and Promotion remains a primary focus of the Agency which has necessitated collaborations with Developers, the DG noted that all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies need to be digitized and therefore sought for collaboration with the visitors in giving Nigeria a Digital Independence.
Meanwhile, Mr Pavel Maximenko in his earlier remark appreciated NITDA for meeting them and assured the Agency of their collaboration in areas of capacity building to improve the Nigerian Infrastructures already built.
He stated that their organization which is a certified partner of most major Russian software developers such as the Kaspersky Lab, eXpress, Infowatch, Security Code and others is excited about collaborating with NITDA on software development.
“We will provide solutions to your challenges and arrange for our engineers to meet with yours in building a supportive framework,” he promised.