OGP Honours Nigeria With Top Digital Governance Awards As Inuwa Calls For Sustained Accountability
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to open governance, transparency and inclusive digital development, as the Open Government Partnership (OGP) team formally presented the awards and certificates Nigeria received at the OGP Global Summit Spain 2025 to the agency’s leadership.
Nigeria emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category, in recognition of its excellence in deploying digital tools and policies to enhance government transparency, accountability and citizen engagement. The country also received the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, further reinforcing its leadership role in promoting open government principles and driving digital transformation in the region.
The honours were largely attributed to initiatives spearheaded by NITDA in collaboration with civil society partners, including Dataphyte, which showcased innovative and inclusive digital governance practices at the summit.
The OGP Global Summit, held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, brought together over 1,500 high-level representatives of governments, civil society organisations and policymakers from across the world to share experiences, best practices and progress on open government reforms.
Receiving the OGP delegation at NITDA, Inuwa described the recognition as a national achievement rather than an institutional one, noting that it reflects the collective efforts of government, civil society and the private sector in advancing open governance through digital innovation.
“This is not just about NITDA. It is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility. If we fail to deliver on the commitments we have made, it will affect not only our local image but also our standing on the international stage,” he said, stressing that the commitments cannot be delivered by NITDA alone.
The NITDA Director-General linked the achievement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, highlighting digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery as key priorities of the administration. He noted that leveraging digital technologies to strengthen openness and accountability aligns with national goals of institutional reform and improved governance outcomes.
Emphasising collaboration, Inuwa described the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and other government institutions to provide technical support, guidance and sustained engagement to ensure effective implementation of OGP commitments.
Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has commenced internal reviews of its OGP commitments and has mandated its representatives to work with stakeholders to develop clear execution strategies. He proposed the establishment of joint work streams to support implementation, strengthen accountability and keep all partners aligned.
He also welcomed the idea of engaging Nigeria’s political leadership, including the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, to brief President Tinubu on the achievement, noting that celebrating milestones helps boost morale and underscores Nigeria’s growing global recognition in digital governance.
Earlier, the leader of the OGP delegation, Mr. Olusoji Apampa, said the awards were the result of strong collaboration between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a pivotal role, particularly in commitments aimed at strengthening digital governance. He expressed optimism that the recognition would further energise efforts to deepen reforms and accelerate the practical implementation of open digital governance initiatives across Nigeria.
