By Comrade Aminu Aminu
Dr Kashifu Inuwa CCIE ? Oh yes, this is not the first time that the Director General of the NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, is being projected for his tremendous achievements to move Nigeria forward on digital economy.
Accordingly, this piece is just another insightful profiling of the dynamic DG who is gradually assuming a development phenomenon owing to his firm belief for a reformed and diversified economy that is consistent with global economic practices so that Nigeria will be a force to be reckoned with in the league of universal competitions.
Since assuming office, he has discerningly carved a niche for himself, showcasing unrelenting efforts to see Nigeria weather the storm in the global contests for overhauling the digital economy sector to boost Nigeria’s economy. This has been his national agenda and vision and has attracted public interest and attention. As a young man of aspiring vision for the future of his country, he has transformed the agency into a viable economic sector, creating jobs for the unemployed, saving humongous funds for the government and enhancing the acquisition of ICT skills among others for especially young Nigerians on how to be self-employed.
His indelible performance is timely and prolific, with attendant development fortunes that are accruing to the nation. As a young man of exalted focus, he has maintained a sustainable pedigree of digital economy effective management for result-oriented objectives. Battling with certain constraints and what have you, nevertheless, he possesses a strong will which he wields to ensure that the country sees the light at the end of the tunnel. What is this tunnel? Certainly, it is the gigantic project of digital economy revolution as a way forward for NIgeria.
Indeed, we are all conversant with the prevailing global contest creating and sustaining digital economy as a reliable tool for national development. This is a universal message that Inuwa aptly comprehends and is assiduously striving to see that Nigeria does not lag behind. He has been mobilizing all the resources at his disposal to make the country great in this respect. To actualise this driving philosophy, he has set in motion, fundamental and structural policies that have positively impacted on the national economy. To this end, he created Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan( SRAP 2021-2024) with 64 initiatives to propel Nigeria’s transition into the digital economy. Below are some of the remarkable feats he has recorded.
It is highly essential to mention Inuwa’s evolution and implementation of what is known as IT Clearance instrument. As the name suggests, it is a due process mechanism for detecting financial plundering. With this, the government has been able to save N305 billion from over-specifications and duplications of federal public institutions IT projects. If this positive trend is sustained, you can imagine the collosal money that will be saved in the coming years and how it will be harnessed for other development ventures.
It is also to Kashifu’s exclusive credit that over 601 projects have been executed across the country. They include digital economy centres as well as IT hubs to provide digital infrastructure to unserved and underserved communities across the country. Furthermore, Kashifu’s implementation of Strategic iniatives and interventions have created many jobs for Nigerians. To buttress this fact, the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation ( NDPR) is a compliance drive that has provided 7,680 jobs and a market valued at N 1.2 billion. Also through the implementation of the Draft National Outsourcing Strategy, the Nigeria Business Process Outsourcing ( BPD) Industry is currently valued at 286 million dollars and has generated 16,540 jobs for Nigerians.
There is also good news that Kashifu’s revolutionary agitation has culminated in the evolution of National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture ( NAVSA), engaging 900 farmers and creating 4,825 jobs. This could be akin to saying that it is agricultural revolution through another revolution from the digital domain. In other words, the dynamism of digital economy is channeled to boost another economy, that is agriculture.
To facilitate the actualisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign promises, Inuwa’s formidable strategy includes highly- yielding iniatives of creating 1.8 million high paying employment opportunities for Nigerians. Not only that, he has also secured the support of global development partners such as JICA, GIZ and the World Bank, as well as Cisco, Microsoft and Apple to actualise the success of the strategy.
Having sketchly touched few of his digital economy innovations to push the country forward, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi’s potentiality of aspiring for higher achievements is tallied with national development. One can imagine the prosperous level Nigeria will attain with Inuwa acting as a minister to pioneer our digital economy.
Given the outlined chronicle of his outstanding achievements, the higher Kashifu ascends, the greater it will definitely be for NIgeria and its quest for the fulfilment of a digital economy, a catalyst for overall economic growth..
Comrade Aminu Aminu is the
National President Youth and Civil Society Coalition For Development (YCSCD)