The Federal Government has secured $40 million funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to establish a digital innovation hub in Abuja, with an additional $20 million support from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Malam Kashifu Inuwa, announced this during the 3rd annual Economic Confidential Lecture held in Abuja. He said the hub would position Nigeria to harness the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution by driving technological innovations and inventions.
Speaking at the event, themed “Agenda for a Digital Global Economy,” Inuwa explained that digital innovation is central to the country’s economic future. He noted that if the government deploys Artificial Intelligence (AI) in implementing its new tax regime from next year, Nigeria’s economy could grow by 20 percent annually, creating a pathway to achieve a \$1 trillion economy before 2030.
He stressed that automating about 30 percent of tax collection through AI would significantly expand revenue and boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
Inuwa praised President Bola Tinubu for anchoring the Renewed Hope Agenda on digital innovation to strengthen key sectors, including finance, agriculture, education, healthcare, security, and infrastructure. He added that Nigeria’s youthful population provides a unique opportunity to fill the global digital skills gap, projected to hit 85 million by 2030. According to him, training between 1.5 million and 2 million digitally skilled citizens each year could earn the country up to $50 billion annually from the global digital economy.
The NITDA chief also highlighted the agency’s eight policy pillars, which focus on promoting digital literacy, expanding access to digital infrastructure, and enhancing cybersecurity.
The lecture, organised by Abuja-based PR Nigeria, also featured the presentation of three books authored by members of the National Youth Service Corps serving at NITDA, alongside an award to the Director-General.
