Nigeria Wins Global Digital Governance Award at OGP Summit
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Nigeria Wins Global Digital Governance Award at OGP Summit
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Nigeria has emerged as the overall global winner in the Digital Governance category at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit 2025 held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, in recognition of the country’s deployment of digital tools and policies to promote transparency, accountability and citizen participation in governance.
The country also clinched the Regional Award for advancing Open Digital Governance across Africa and the Middle East, further reinforcing its leadership role in driving digital transformation and open government practices in the region.
The awards and certificates were formally presented to the management of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) by an OGP delegation led by Mr Olusoji Apampa.
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The honours were largely attributed to digital governance initiatives championed by NITDA in collaboration with civil society organisations, including Dataphyte.
Speaking while receiving the delegation, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, described the recognition as a national achievement rather than an institutional one, noting that it reflected the collective efforts of government, civil society and the private sector.
“This is not just about NITDA. It is a national recognition, and every recognition comes with responsibility. If we fail to execute the commitments we have made, it will affect our image locally and internationally,” Inuwa said.
He linked the achievement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying digital transformation, transparency, economic diversification, job creation and efficient public service delivery remain central priorities of the administration.
According to him, leveraging digital technologies to deepen openness and accountability aligns with national goals of strengthening institutions and improving governance outcomes.
Inuwa emphasised the importance of collaboration, describing the OGP platform as a catalyst for a strong multi-stakeholder approach in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
He called on civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and other government institutions to provide technical support and sustained engagement to ensure effective implementation of Nigeria’s commitments under the OGP framework.
He disclosed that NITDA had commenced internal reviews of its OGP commitments and had tasked its representatives to work with stakeholders to develop a clear execution strategy.
He also proposed the creation of joint work streams to support implementation, ensure accountability and keep all parties on track.
The NITDA boss said the agency was ready to engage the political leadership of OGP, including the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, to brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the achievement, noting that celebrating milestones helps reinforce morale and demonstrates that Nigeria’s digital governance efforts are gaining global recognition.
Earlier, Mr Olusoji Apampa said the honours were earned through strong collaboration between government and civil society, with NITDA playing a key role, particularly in commitments aimed at strengthening digital governance in the country.
He expressed optimism that the awards would provide fresh momentum to deepen reforms and accelerate the implementation of open digital governance initiatives nationwide.
