• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

      PRNigeria logo fearured image

      EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict, Other for Naira Abuse in Lagos

      EFCC Arrests 37 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Ilorin

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Acting Controller General of Customs, Nigerian Customs Services, NSC, Ag. CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Customs Exposes Scam Over Form M Migration to B’Odogwu Platform

      CBN

      The Facts About Nigeria’s Debts Burden Under Tinubu’s Watch By Zekeri…

      Ibrahim Yahaya Dandakata of Arewa Economic Forum AEF

      AEF Slams CBN’s New BDC Policy, Cites Threat to Northern Economy…

      Google Search Tech Digest

      7 Smart Google Search Tips That Will Save You Hours By…

      U.S. VISA

      REVEALED: Why US Reduced Visa Validity for Nigerians to 3 Months…

  • National
    • Late President Muhammadu Buhari

      The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

      Secretary to the Government of the Federation

      SGF Akume Leads Presidential Committee for Buhari’s State Funeral

      Late President Muhammadu Buhari

      Northwest Governors Mourn Buhari, Declare Tuesday Public Holiday

      FG Declares Tuesday Public Holiday in Honour of Late Ex-President Buhari

      Yahaya Bello Mourns Passing of Buhari and Awujale of Ijebuland

    • Government
      • Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital Economy

        Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre

        Late President Muhammadu Buhari

        The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

        Secretary to the Government of the Federation

        SGF Akume Leads Presidential Committee for Buhari’s State Funeral

        Late President Muhammadu Buhari

        Northwest Governors Mourn Buhari, Declare Tuesday Public Holiday

  • Security
    • Kano Police Arrest 28 Suspects, Seize Dangerous Weapons

      Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre

      Police Arrest 6 Suspected Armed Robbers in Benue, Recover Firearm, Motorcycle

      Police Officer

      Police Arrest Suspects for Human Trafficking, Rescue Victims in Anambra, Enugu,…

      Police Raid IPOB/ESN Enclave, Arrest 6 Suspects in Enugu

  • Features
    • Late President Muhammadu Buhari

      The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

      President Muhammadu Buhari

      Buhari in his Own Words By Kabir Akintayo

      Fame, Fortune, and Fallout: The Peller Paradox By Haroon Aremu Abiodun

      Officers of NSCDC Mining Marshals

      Alake’s Verdict on Mining Marshals By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

      CBN

      The Facts About Nigeria’s Debts Burden Under Tinubu’s Watch By Zekeri…

  • State
    • Kano Police Arrest 28 Suspects, Seize Dangerous Weapons

      Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital Economy

      Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre

      Police Arrest 6 Suspected Armed Robbers in Benue, Recover Firearm, Motorcycle

      Police Officer

      Police Arrest Suspects for Human Trafficking, Rescue Victims in Anambra, Enugu,…

  • Event
    • Late President Muhammadu Buhari

      Northwest Governors Mourn Buhari, Declare Tuesday Public Holiday

      Late President Muhammadu Buhari

      UPDATE: Buhari’s remain for burial Tuesday 2pm – Gov Radda

      Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Suleja

      NIPOST Appoints Ibrahim Musa Suleja Director of Corporate Communications

      Asiwaju Adegboyega Solomon Awomolo

      47 Years of Excellence: Honoring Asiwaju Awomolo, SAN

      NCoS inmates

      58 Inmates in Kano Sit for 2025 NECO Exams, Thanks to…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Government NITDA Affirms Stakeholder Engagement on New Bill
  • Government

NITDA Affirms Stakeholder Engagement on New Bill

By
Hadiza Umar
-
August 30, 2021

NITDA Affirms Stakeholder Engagement on New Bill

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in its efforts to ensure that Nigeria benefits maximally from the global digital economy, draws the attention of Information Technology sector stakeholders and the general public on its commencement of the process of repealing and re-enacting the NITDA Act, 2007.

2.        The need to repeal the existing Act became necessary with the launch of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), which effectively replaced the Nigerian National IT Policy, 2000.

3.        You may recall that the vision of the National IT Policy was to make Nigeria an IT capable country by 2005. We can all attest that Nigeria has gone beyond the vision of using IT but aiming to become the digital economy capital of Africa.

4.      Furthermore, since the enactment of the NITDA Act 2007, NITDA has operated as the catalytic Government Agency for developing and regulating the Information Technology sector.

5.        However, in light of recent advancements in Information Technology and the shift in the global economy paradigm, the NDEPS was envisioned to “transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy, providing quality life and digital economies for all”.

6.        This current reality has necessitated the reimagination for the establishment of NITDA. It is a known fact that digital technologies have created new forms of economic activities that have been beneficial to the global economy.

7. However, these digital technologies comes with their promises and perils such as cybercrimes, privacy invasion and other social problems. This necessitates the need to proactively manage their adoption through the development of a stakeholder-led robust regulatory architecture to enable Nigeria to maximise the benefits of such technologies and mitigate the negative consequences.
8.           Therefore, the need for a more agile and practical approach to regulations, standards-setting, and guidelines development for the country, with a focus on digital and emerging technologies, cannot be overemphasised.

9.        Based on the foregoing, we identified the need to update NITDA’s legal framework for regulating and developing a digital economy for Nigeria. The Agency’s current establishment law is outdated. It cannot meet the needs and requirements for supporting a digital economy as well as effectively protect the rights and interests of stakeholders in the digital world.

10.      The review of the NITDA Act 2007 aims to address contemporary digital issues, revamp Nigeria’s economy, build trust and protect the rights and interests of players in the ecosystem.

11.      Furthermore, the review of the NITDA Act 2007 would serve as an enabler for the growth and development of Nigeria’s digital economy. Some of the highlights of the repeal include the following, amongst others, creating a framework for:

a.     promoting the startup ecosystem;
b.     promoting indigenous products and services through standardisation;
c.     collaborating with the requisite public and private sector partners to carry out activities that will assist in electronic waste disposal;
d.     fostering collaboration to facilitate the implementation of robust cybersecurity measures aimed at building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy;
e.     facilitating capacity building through the digital literacy and skills initiative;
f.      entrenching stakeholder participation in developing regulations through the rule-making process; and
g.     promoting the safe use of digital technologies, including social media, for the attainment of national objectives.

Read Also:

  • Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital Economy
  • Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre
  • The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

12.      The IT sector and general public will attest to the fact that NITDA has recorded unprecedented achievements in the past few years despite the limitations of the current establishment law. Some of these include:
a.     facilitating the substantial contribution of the ICT sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), contributing 17.92% in the second quarter of 2021, catalysing job creation and igniting innovative activities in the tech ecosystem;
b.     the implementation of the IT Project Clearance initiative that supported the Federal Government’s fight against corruption. This has resulted in over 22.45 Billion Naira saving and has significantly increased local content consumptions by over 300% in 4 years. NITDA currently registered 1573 indigenous companies to enforce local content through IT Clearance;
c.     the introduction and implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), subsidiary legislation enshrined to ensure data protection and privacy of Nigerian citizens. The NDPR is the first of its kind in Africa, serving as a source of reference for other African countries. It also facilitated the creation of a new industry valued at around 3.4 Billion Naira, stimulated new business models, and empowered thousands of Nigerians through capacity building and skills development. It also facilitated the creation of over 2,818 new jobs in the industry;
d.     executing strategic global initiatives in the innovation ecosystem such as MIT-Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration programme (MIT REAP), Bridge to MassChallenge and Clayton Christensen’s Framework of Disruptive Innovation to foster the growth and success of startup enterprises, facilitate key strategies to compliment innovation initiatives and accelerate economic growth and job creation through Innovation Driven Enterprises; and
e.     strategic deployment of digital literacy, skills and entrepreneurship initiatives resulting in building capacities of millions of Nigerians and the emergence of new economic sectors like Fintech, e-Commerce, Venture Capital Investment, Business Process Outsourcing, and robust software industry.

13.      The proposed NITDA Bill aims to create a regulatory framework to accelerate Nigeria into the digital economy and substantially catalyse prosperity. This will include promoting and implementing policies that support indigenous content, access to digital services, investments in the sector, adoption of emerging technologies, innovation, research and development, with a particular focus on the rights of citizens and national interest.

14.      NITDA, as the apex regulator of the IT sector, will leverage the proposed NITDAs Bill to extensively engage with crucial IT stakeholders and protect its stakeholders’ interests in the best possible way. However, this can only be achieved through more excellent connectivity and collaboration by registration and licensing processes.

15.        Considering the importance of the NITDA proposed Bill. The Bill will be presented to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill. The process of Executive Bill is as follows:
a.     the Agency initiated the process by sending the initial draft to its supervisory Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, for policy review;
b.     the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy perform the policy review;
c.     upon completion of the policy review, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy conveys the initial draft Bill to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Office for legal drafting and statutory review;
d.     the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Office will revert with their legal opinion to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy;
e.     NITDA will engage all IT stakeholders in line with the Rulemaking Process of the Agency;
f.      NITDA will send the updated draft Bill to its supervisory Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy;
g.     the Bill will be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and upon approval, the President will transmit the Bill to the National Assembly for the enactment process, which will include public hearings and more stakeholder engagements; and
h.     upon passage by the National Assembly, it will be transmitted to the President for assent.

16.      As an accountable Agency, NITDA assures Information Technology sector stakeholders as well as the general public that the process will be transparent and subjected to comprehensive stakeholder engagements. We, therefore, count on the support of Nigerians towards the successful passage of the Bill and eventual signing into law. This will undoubtedly help towards ensuring that Nigeria harnesses the potentials of the ever-expanding digital economy.

Signed:
Mrs Hadiza Umar, MNIPR, M.APRA, MCIPR
Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Bill
  • NDEPS
  • NITDA
  • Stakeholder Engagement
Previous articleMilitary Helicopter Hits ‘Cotonou Boat’ on Illegal oil bunkerering
Next articleNAF Jet Strikes Scores of Bandits at School Building in Zamfara
Hadiza Umar
Hadiza Umar
Xing

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital Economy

Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre

Late President Muhammadu Buhari

The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

Secretary to the Government of the Federation

SGF Akume Leads Presidential Committee for Buhari’s State Funeral

Late President Muhammadu Buhari

Northwest Governors Mourn Buhari, Declare Tuesday Public Holiday

FG Declares Tuesday Public Holiday in Honour of Late Ex-President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

JUST IN: FG Declares Tuesday Public Holiday to Honour Buhari

HCSF, Didi Esther Walson-Jack

Walson-Jack Inaugurates Editorial Team for Civil Service Legacy Book

Late President Muhammadu Buhari

UPDATE: Buhari’s remain for burial Tuesday 2pm – Gov Radda

Yahaya Bello Mourns Passing of Buhari and Awujale of Ijebuland

PHOTOS: Shettima, Gbajabiamila Arrive London to Bring Buhari’s Body Home for Burial

Tinubu Mourns Awujale of Ijebuland, Describes Him as Towering Traditional Ruler

Recent Posts

  • Kano Police Arrest 28 Suspects, Seize Dangerous Weapons
  • Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital Economy
  • Kogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation Centre
  • The Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode
  • SGF Akume Leads Presidential Committee for Buhari’s State Funeral
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Kano Gov Appoints Yusuf Sharada Special Adviser on Digital EconomyKogi SEMA To Establish Emergency Operation CentreThe Passing of a Mighty Warrior by Chief Femi Fani-KayodeSGF Akume Leads Presidential Committee for Buhari’s State FuneralPolice Arrest 6 Suspected Armed Robbers in Benue, Recover Firearm, MotorcycleNorthwest Governors Mourn Buhari, Declare Tuesday Public HolidayFG Declares Tuesday Public Holiday in Honour of Late Ex-President BuhariJUST IN: FG Declares Tuesday Public Holiday to Honour BuhariWalson-Jack Inaugurates Editorial Team for Civil Service Legacy BookPolice Arrest Suspects for Human Trafficking, Rescue Victims in Anambra, Enugu, EdoCustoms Exposes Scam Over Form M Migration to B’Odogwu PlatformUPDATE: Buhari's remain for burial Tuesday 2pm - Gov RaddaYahaya Bello Mourns Passing of Buhari and Awujale of IjebulandBuhari in his Own Words By Kabir AkintayoPHOTOS: Shettima, Gbajabiamila Arrive London to Bring Buhari’s Body Home for Burial
X whatsapp