NITDA, UniAbuja Partner to Boost AI, Digital Research
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA has reiterated its commitment to partnering with Nigerian universities to strengthen research and develop technology-driven solutions to address local challenges and accelerate the country’s digital economy.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the management of Yakubu Gowon University (formerly UniAbuja), led by its Vice-Chancellor, Hakeem Fawehinmi, during a familiarisation visit to the agency’s headquarters.
Inuwa said stronger collaboration between NITDA and tertiary institutions would help build a robust research ecosystem capable of producing innovative solutions using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud computing.
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According to him, increased investment in research is essential to driving inclusive economic growth, enhancing innovation and positioning Nigeria as a global hub for technology-driven development.
“We need to invest more in in-depth research with universities to build a robust research ecosystem that will help us develop solutions. Research will focus on harnessing AI, IoT, blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud technology, among other emerging technologies, to improve our lives and grow our digital economy,” he said.
The NITDA boss described universities as the country’s “talent factory,” stressing that the agency could not achieve its vision of building a digitally empowered nation without developing skilled manpower through closer collaboration with higher institutions.
He also advocated the introduction of artificial intelligence as a General Studies course across tertiary institutions, saying AI knowledge should cut across all disciplines to prepare students for the demands of the modern workplace.
“We can work together to explore ways of introducing AI across the board as a general study course in tertiary institutions. Elements of AI should be included in every field of study to equip our students with the hands-on skills for navigating the real world,” he added.
Inuwa further revealed that NITDA is already collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education and the National Commission for Colleges of Education to integrate digital literacy into curricula across all levels of education.
Earlier, Fawehinmi said the university visited NITDA to seek support for improving its digital infrastructure and expanding technology-based education.
He commended the agency for its contributions to the institution’s Digital Geoscience Centre and expressed the university’s readiness to collaborate on research, innovation programmes, staff exchanges and capacity-building initiatives.
According to him, the partnership would help produce highly skilled manpower and strengthen Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda through academia-industry collaboration.
