Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Nigeria’s quest to build a technology-driven economy received a fresh boost as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) moved to deepen collaboration with Yakubu Gowon University (UniAbuja), with both institutions seeking to place research, talent development and emerging technologies at the centre of national development.
The partnership is expected to strengthen the link between academic research and real-world challenges while creating a pipeline of highly skilled Nigerian talents capable of developing home-grown technological solutions for critical sectors of the economy.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, made this known when the management team of Yakubu Gowon University, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi paid a familiarisation visit to the agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
Abdullahi said NITDA was ready to partner with UniAbuja and other tertiary institutions to build stronger innovation ecosystems, expand practical digital skills, and position Nigeria as a leading hub for technology-driven development.
He stressed that increased investment in research was critical to unlocking the transformative potential of emerging technologies and ensuring that Nigeria’s digital economy delivers inclusive and sustainable growth.
The NITDA boss identified Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud technology among the emerging fields where stronger collaboration between government and universities could produce solutions to pressing Nigerian problems.
“We need to invest more in in-depth research with universities to build a robust research ecosystem that will help us develop solutions,” he said.
According to him, NITDA’s vision of building a digitally empowered Nigeria can not be achieved without developing the human capital required to drive the country’s technological transformation.
“You are the talent factory, and we can not achieve our vision without talented Nigerians. The only way to achieve that is working with institutions like yours. So, we need to build talent,” Abdullahi told the university management.
He also advocated the integration of Artificial Intelligence education across disciplines in Nigerian tertiary institutions, stressing that AI should no longer be viewed as a subject reserved exclusively for students of technology-related fields.
“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 said.
The proposal reflects NITDA’s broader push to ensure that graduates are not only academically qualified but also equipped with practical digital competencies demanded by the rapidly changing global economy.
Abdullahi disclosed that NITDA was already working with key institutions within the education sector, including the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of Education, towards strengthening digital literacy and technology education.
He said the agency was committed to supporting the integration of digital literacy programmes into curricula across different levels of education, with the objective of producing graduates who can transition more effectively from the classroom into industry.
For NITDA, the emerging partnership with UniAbuja represents another opportunity to translate academic knowledge into practical solutions capable of addressing local challenges while strengthening Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, said the university’s visit was aimed at exploring areas of strategic partnership and seeking NITDA’s support in strengthening the institution’s digital infrastructure for teaching, learning and research.
Fawehinmi expressed appreciation for NITDA’s contributions to the university’s Digital Geoscience Centre, describing the agency’s support as significant to the institution’s efforts to expand technology-enabled learning and research.
He said UniAbuja was prepared to deepen its relationship with NITDA through joint research projects, capacity-building programmes and innovation initiatives aligned with the agency’s mandate of using technology to drive socio-economic development.
“We could go into partnership with you to provide data, collaborative engagements, staff exchanges, joint research hubs, so that we can produce high-level human resources,” the Vice Chancellor said.
He assured NITDA that the university was committed to serving as a strategic academic partner by providing the research expertise, knowledge and human capital needed to advance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
The emerging alliance between NITDA and UniAbuja underscores a growing recognition that Nigeria’s digital transformation can not be achieved through government intervention alone.
Universities, as centres of knowledge creation and talent development, remain critical to building the research capacity, innovation pipelines, and skilled workforce required to transform emerging technologies into practical solutions.
With Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, IoT and other technologies rapidly reshaping economies worldwide, the ability to connect Nigeria’s academic institutions with industry and government could prove decisive in turning the country’s vast intellectual capital into economic value.
The NITDA-UniAbuja partnership, therefore, goes beyond institutional collaboration. It represents a strategic push to build the talent, research capacity, and innovation ecosystem Nigeria needs to compete and thrive in the emerging digital economy.
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