NITDA Rolls Out Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidelines to Enhance Governance
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NITDA Rolls Out Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidelines to Enhance Governance
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has taken a significant step towards enhancing governance and effective service delivery in the country’s public sector.
In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, NITDA has presented its Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidance Document to key government agencies, including the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, and Bureau of Public Procurement.
NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, emphasized that the agency cannot work in isolation to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of transforming the economy digitally and stressed the need for focused and intentional implementation of IT projects to maintain Nigeria’s leading position in Africa.
According to him, 56% of IT projects fail to deliver on promises due to the pursuit of latest technology without proper design and consideration for business value proposition.
To safeguard against this, NITDA has reviewed the IT Clearance Guideline to ensure that IT projects are designed with interoperability in mind, allowing Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to explore shared services and follow best practices.
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Inuwa noted that the guideline will guide MDAs on how to design, operate, and maintain systems, emphasizing that building these systems is beyond technology but also involves people, processes, and key components.
He added that contractors will be required to obtain licenses and certified employees for the three steps of IT project implementation – Solution Design, Implementation, and Quality Assurance – before being awarded government IT projects.
“These measures are designed to eliminate corruption, prevent duplication, and ensure that government IT initiatives are structured to create meaningful change—fostering efficiency, equity, and fairness in public service.”
At the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Director General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, stressed the significance of standardizing IT Project Bidding Documents.
He remarked, “It is disheartening that organisations misuse IT projects to siphon public funds—resources that could otherwise be channeled towards impactful initiatives that can transform the country.”
Dr. Adedokun disclosed that MDAs come with IT projects that were adopted without standardization and guideline, “but with this new guideline, our decision should pave ways for the development of the IT sector of the country.”
He also noted that because most IT projects’ components are intangible, officials leverage them to siphon public funds, adding that the Bureau has developed a standard bidding document for IT procurement.
“We have a huge responsibility with NITDA to avoid corruption, duplication of IT projects and ensure transparency and accountability in the award of IT projects for the Federal Public Institutions. It is disheartening that we are consuming resources that can be deployed to meet other needs of the country and we need to stop this and say no to wastage,” he said.
Dr. Adedokun tasked NITDA to reconsider service-wide procurement of licenses of organizations like Microsoft, Oracle, and others, and also develop a template for IT Price Intelligence which the Bureau can rely on for costing.
“We are not IT experts, if NITDA can help us with data on the prices of IT-related products which can serve as a benchmark for pricing, it will go a long way in our review.”
He also canvassed for capacity building for government staff in the IT cadre so they would not be outsmarted by contractors.
Both NITDA and BPP agreed to constitute a working committee that would work out modalities for the realization of the entire intended plan and sign a Memorandum of Understanding on its implementation.
At the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Auditor General, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, commended NITDA for its thoughtfulness in bringing the guideline forward for review and inputs.
He assured that once the policy becomes operational, the Office of the Auditor General will conduct a performance audit to assess whether it is effectively contributing to the betterment of the country.
Similarly, the Accountant General, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, commended NITDA’s efforts to standardize IT project implementation and expressed readiness to support the integration of the clearance guidelines into financial processes.
The collaboration between NITDA and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is expected to enhance service delivery, curb inefficiencies, and position Nigeria as a leader in technology-driven governance.
INCNews247 reports that NITDA’s efforts have saved the country over N300 billion since the introduction of the Guideline for IT Project Clearance in 2018.
The reviewed guidelines are expected to further improve the agency’s efforts in ensuring transparency and accountability in IT project implementation.
