The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has called for Nigeria to move beyond traditional outsourcing and embrace higher-value, AI-powered digital services to strengthen its position in the global digital economy.
Abdullahi made the call during the “Hire from Nigeria” session organised by the Nigeria Economic and Trade Advancement Programme (NATEP) on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
He said Nigeria’s competitive advantage should not be limited to supplying labour to global markets, but should focus on equipping its workforce to use, develop and create economic value from emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The NITDA Director-General identified investments in digital infrastructure, data protection, cybersecurity, digital identity and sovereign cloud as critical to building trust and attracting global businesses.
He also highlighted Project BRIDGE, which targets 90,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, as well as the Cloud First Policy and initiatives aimed at strengthening AI infrastructure.
Abdullahi further cited the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy as key initiatives to build indigenous AI capabilities and connect Nigerian talent with global opportunities.
He said the ultimate goal should be to equip Nigerian talent with AI capabilities, trusted digital infrastructure and globally competitive skills to deliver higher-value digital services to the world.
