By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas & Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, Northern Nigeria
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the United States in building a secure, trusted, and resilient digital ecosystem, with a particular focus on data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and capacity building.
According to a press statement e-authored by the Director of Corporate Communications & External Relations at NITDA, Hajia Hadiza Umar, Mallam Abdullahi stated this while delivering an address at the Nigeria Data Privacy Capacity Building Workshop organised by the United States Department of State, in collaboration with the Nigerian Mission and relevant stakeholders in the digital ecosystem.
Expressing his excitement at the engagement, Abdullahi described the workshop as a strong revalidation of the long-standing partnership between Nigeria and the United States in advancing the country’s technical and digital systems. According to him, the collaboration was not a new initiative but part of a growing and deliberate effort by both countries to jointly address emerging digital challenges and opportunities.
The NITDA DG recalled that in April 2024, Nigeria and the United States, through the US–Nigeria Binational Commission, agreed to work together on key areas including data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, capacity building, and other aspects of digital development.
He further noted that the same year witnessed the successful hosting of an Artificial Intelligence Conference, co-hosted by the Nigerian Government and the US Mission in Nigeria, as well as Nigeria’s participation in engagements with US cybersecurity companies to explore partnerships aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s technical ecosystem.
He explained that NITDA’s emphasis on data privacy, AI, cybersecurity, and policy was anchored on one central objective: building trust in the digital ecosystem, adding that trust was a critical enabler of digital transformation, as its absence slowed down innovation and increased costs, while its presence accelerated progress and reduced barriers to growth.
The NITDA boss stressed that building a prosperous digital economy required deliberate efforts to safeguard data privacy, strengthen security frameworks, and deploy AI responsibly.
He noted that artificial intelligence relied on data, data demands privacy, and privacy could only be guaranteed through strong security, making it impossible to address these issues in isolation.
Abdullahi described the workshop as the beginning of broader engagements and deeper collaboration in other strategic areas, particularly as Nigeria continued to position itself as a key player in the global digital economy.
He disclosed that following the participation of the US Mission in Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Conference last year, plans were underway to expand the conference into an international cybersecurity platform this year.
According to him, the international conference would provide an opportunity for US cybersecurity companies to showcase their technologies, explore partnerships with Nigerian firms developing local cyber solutions, and jointly strengthen Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
He also reassured partners and stakeholders of NITDA’s commitment to building the right policies and enabling environment for innovation to thrive noting that Nigeria, alongside Africa, represented the next frontier of the digital economy, driven by a young, digital-native population and a large, expanding market.
He said that while many public and private sector organisations in Nigeria relied on US technologies to build their digital systems, the country also possessed significant local talent capable of developing homegrown solutions to address national and regional challenges. He added that NITDA remained committed to working with international partners to build local capacity and promote Nigeria’s digital self-determination.
According to the NITDA DG, digital technology was no longer optional, as it represented the future of economic growth and development, and no nation could afford to be left behind. He emphasised that the only way to fully harness the opportunities of the ongoing AI revolution was by safeguarding privacy, establishing sound policies, and laying a strong digital foundation capable of supporting rapid technological advancement.
He appreciated the US Department of State and the US Mission in Nigeria for their continued partnership and support, expressing optimism that the collaboration would be further strengthened to explore new areas of cooperation, particularly in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, for the mutual benefit of both countries.
